Dragon Cheeks
by KoraKwidditch
Summary: When 14-year-old Hermione discovers soulmates exist, she sets her heart on finding hers. The only issue is your soulmate is said to have matching birthmarks and well, hers is in a very odd place. Now at 23 and in the Ministry, she's sent to Romania to investigate a new dragon species, where Hermione finds more than a scaly beast as she works alongside Charlie Weasley. **COMPLETE**
1. Discovery

**Full Summary:**

When 14-year-old Hermione Granger discovers the possibility of having a soulmate in a book in the Hogwarts Library, she vows to herself she'll one day find hers. The only issue is your soulmate is said to have matching birthmarks and well... Hers is in a very, very interesting place.

Now at 23 and working in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, she's sent to Romania to investigate a newly discovered dragon species. Much to her surprise, Hermione finds more than just a scaly beast as she works alongside Charlie Weasley.

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**A/N:** I want to start this note off by saying a gigantic thank you to my betas, FaeOrabel and Srastrr. Without them, this fic would not be what it is. Another shoutout to WordsmithMusings, who read over my smut scenes to make sure they sounded realistic and to Mrs_Poncey for making the beautiful covers below!

Lastly, I want to thank every single person in the FicFest chat. Without you all allowing me to bounce off ideas, read some snippets and especially host writing sprints, I don't think I could have ever managed to finish this.

I highly recommend you check out the rest of the fics in this collection. Every single one is amazing and the authors even more so.

I hope you all enjoy reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Favorites, follows and reviews are appreciated.

**Written for Hermione's Nook Rarepair Soulmate FicFest** The full collection can be found on Archive of Our Own under the user, hermiones_nook. (there are another 56 stories to read!)

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Chapter 1: Discovery

_1993_

Hermione watched as her classmates filed out of the room. When she lingered at her desk, Ron and Harry turned to her with a questioning look but she waved them off.

"Professor Binns?" She called out into the empty classroom.

The ghostly professor gave her a quick glance from his spot at the front of the room and answered her in his gravelly voice, "Yes, Miss... Grant was it?"

"Granger, Sir." She tried not to roll her eyes, she had to remind him of her name almost every day for the last three years.

Hermione approached Professor Binns where he floated behind his desk. She fiddled with the cover of her History of Magic textbook as her ever-present need for knowledge battled with the intense awkwardness she was feeling. However, she knew he would be one of the only Professors willing to explain it to her, just as he had last year with the Chamber of Secrets.

She swallowed her discomfort, "Sir, I was in the library, doing a bit of light reading and came upon a book about... well about soulmates actually, and I was wondering if you could explain some things to me."

Professor Binns turned away from the open book on his desk and looked at her as he scratched his balding head, "Soulmates? You're a little young to be interested in something like that, aren't you?"

Hermione felt her cheeks heat at the question, "It's just something new I'd never heard of before. Muggles don't have something like this, you see."

That seemed to be accepted as a satisfactory answer and the Professor nodded his head in agreement. "What are your questions then?"

"Well... How exactly does it work, Sir? Wizards and witches are just... born with a matching birthmark and that's it? There's no way for them to find each other?"

"Unfortunately not, I'm afraid. Although, it is believed that when they're close to one another, the attraction is undeniable. It's being able to match the birthmark that's the hardest part." He peered down at her from the top of his glasses, "Sometimes the birthmark isn't in a well-seen place."

If Hermione could have died from mortification, she would have keeled over on the spot. She felt as if the professor was seeing right through her, even though _he _was the ghost. Her birthmark happened to be in a very... _peculiar_ area and with a sinking heart, she realized how difficult it would be for her to match it.

Hermione cleared her throat as she asked her final questions, "How does one know whether this person is right for them? And how do I know if our-their birthmarks match? What if it's just a coincidence that they have a similar looking one in the same spot? What if-"

Professor Binns held his hand up to stop her line of questioning, "Your soulmate will be the right one for you, don't you worry about that. As for the birthmarks, just trust in the old magic. No one else will have a matching one, I can guarantee that."

Hermione's face fell at his answer, she was hoping for certainty and, unfortunately, he wasn't giving it to her.

The Ghostly Professor sighed at her reaction, "Honestly, child. If you wanted to hear something about destiny and fate, you should have asked Professor Trelawney about all this. I prefer to stick to the _facts_, as you know."

"Did you ever find your soulmate, Sir?"

He scoffed at her question, "No, Miss Grotter. Finding your soulmate is a very rare thing indeed. They are of the magical community, yes, but they could be anywhere in the world at any point in time. Wizarding children are raised on the stories but muggleborns, such as yourself, usually have no idea about soulmates. Which is why it can be very difficult for people to find theirs."

He gestured to the scrolls of parchment on his desk, "Now, I don't have time for any more silly questions. I need to prepare my lecture on Uric the Oddball, which I find to be _much_ more important."

Hermione's heart sank. She had so many more questions but, being the ever dutiful student, she thanked Professor Binns and ducked out of his classroom. She turned down an empty hallway and pulled out her time-turner to make it to Arithmancy on time, where she could lose herself in numbers and charts and forget about this whole soulmate business.

* * *

_2003_

"You wanted to see me, Ma'am?" Hermione stepped into her bosses office and shut the door behind her.

Effie Willows, Head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, turned from her desk. She was an older woman, presumably nearing her fifties, though Hermione never asked. Her hair had been dyed a bright shade of red in an attempt to cover her greys, but every so often as her hair grew out, the silvery roots peeked through. She always wore some odd mismatch of clothing, and today's ensemble entailed an orange blouse with bright pink polka dots, a dark green pencil skirt and purple stockings. Hermione felt nearly boring in comparison with her plain black skirt and white blouse.

"Yes, dear. How do you feel about a new assignment?" Effie asked as she adjusted her angular glasses.

Hermione furrowed her brow, "But Ma'am, I was only just recently assigned to investigate the rise in Pixie numbers. Why would I be getting a new assignment now?"

Effie sighed and shuffled some papers in her hand, "It's not that I want to reassign you, dear. But there's been a new dragon species discovered in Romania and the Dragon Keeper responsible for finding it, Charlie Weasley, requested you. He said he wouldn't work with anyone else. If we want this dragon species on the books, you have to be the one to go, I'm afraid."

Hermione blinked at Effie. Charlie? Wanted... Her? Since graduating from Hogwarts, she had only seen him three or four times and thinking back, they had barely ever even had a full conversation in the time she's known him. Not that she didn't want to, of course, she found him to be the most handsome of the Weasley children but they never seemed to be in the same place at the same time.

She was still extremely close with the Weasleys despite her and Ron breaking up shortly after the War. Well, shortly was putting it lightly, they really only had about a month-long fling before deciding that it would be best to just stay friends.

It was her own doing really, her silly child-like mind still hoped to one day find her soulmate and on discovering Ron didn't share her birthmark, Hermione found herself distancing from him.

It was all for the better, though. She had lost herself in her work and Ron had even discovered his soulmate in Luna Lovegood. They had matching rabbit-shaped birthmarks just at their hip bones. (Not that Hermione asked, Luna was just an over-sharer.) Now they were married and expecting their first child.

"Well?" Effie broke her train of thought, "You're only what... twenty-two?" Hermione nodded and Effie smiled. "You're still so young. It would be a great opportunity for you, Hermione. Get your feet wet in the field. See Romania too! I hear it's lovely this time of year."

Hermione pursed her lips as she thought. It _would _be a good opportunity, after all, it's not every day that a _new species _is discovered. She had only been in the field a few times, mostly being assigned to research and paperwork instead. She missed having the excitement that came with being out and in the thick of things. So, she readily agreed and Effie handed her a stack of papers from her desk.

"This has everything you need to know about the dragon. Charlie sent it the other day. He documented everything about the dragon as it grew. He's awfully smart, he even included little facts such as its temperament and food preferences. You might have some competition in the note-keeping department." She gave Hermione a small smile, "You'll leave tomorrow morning."

Effie told her the time and place to meet for the Portkey, and Hermione flipped through the packet as she left her office. He had indeed kept an overt amount of facts on this new dragon and she itched to read through it all.

Entering her office, she frowned at the sight of Aiden Reynards, who dropped a large stack of papers on Hermione's desk. He had _unfortunately_ been partnered with Hermione and, instead of splitting tasks, he took it upon himself to decide he'd be the field op while she handled the paperwork.

"Got some more papers for you to file, Granger." He leaned against the front of her desk and crossed his arms, giving her a sour smirk.

If anyone could contest with the disgusting personality of Cormac McLaggen, it would be Aiden. It was almost as if they had been cut from the same cloth, feeling the need to make her skin crawl as often as possible - they even looked similar. She could only thank Merlin that McLaggen didn't work at the Ministry, otherwise, she probably would have quit a long time ago.

Hermione pressed her lips together and rounded her desk to set her file down. "I'm afraid I won't have time for that, Reynards. Effie just gave me a new assignment that I need to prepare for."

"Oh? What's that? Have to do some research on your little house-elves again?" He chuckled and moved around to stand next to her, far too close.

Hermione could feel her face turn hot from anger. "My _little house-elves_ have gained quite a lot since I started, thank you very much. I'm the only one that advocated for required payment and I worked bloody hard to make it happen."

And she had indeed, working tirelessly outside of the office for months on end to appear in front of the Wizengamot to earn that for them. She had the target of nearly all the remaining pure-blood families on her back to prove it.

Aiden scoffed and ran a finger down Hermione's arm, "Cmon, Granger, you're the best at filling these things out. You know I'm rubbish at it."

He was trying to act suave but the greasy grin he was giving her only made her stomach turn. She stepped out of his reach and grabbed Charlie's packet from her desk. "It's not my problem. File it yourself or don't file it at all." She quickly raced from her office and down to the cafeteria for some much-needed peace.

She stepped into the lifts and let out a breath of relief at finding it empty. She grabbed onto a dangling strap to hold herself and after a few seconds she stepped out at the cafe.

Hermione grabbed a coffee and turned to the tables and immediately spotted Harry and Ron animatedly talking at one in the back, so she decided to join them.

"All I'm saying is, if Seamus blows something up again I'll snap his wand right in his face." Ron gestured wildly with his fork at Harry as Hermione sat down across from him.

She arched an eyebrow at Ron as he continued shovelling food into his mouth and Harry sighed dramatically.

"Sorry, Hermione. Ron has been tasked with training Seamus for his Auror test and it's not going so well."

Ron mumbled something under his breath and Harry rolled his eyes and gestured to the packet Hermione had in her hands. "What's that?"

Carefully setting the papers on the table and aiming a glare at Ron when he nearly spilt sauce onto the parchment, she explained the new assignment to them and her confusion at being singled out by Charlie.

"Charlie's an odd bloke, he doesn't like random people sniffing around his dragons. Figures you're probably as close as he can get to someone familiar." Ron explained as he finished the last of his lunch.

"How long will you be gone for?" Harry asked as he sipped his tea.

Hermione frowned, "You know, I forgot to ask..."

"Hermione Granger, forgot to ask a question?" Ron laughed, "Merlin, who could've thought."

She narrowed her eyes at him as he and Harry stood to head back to their department. They quickly said their goodbyes, knowing that they wouldn't see each other again until after she returned from her assignment. She took a generous gulp from her coffee before settling herself in her seat and diving into Charlie's packet. She drank up all the new information he divulged. Effie had been right about his detailing and he had even gone so far as to explain it's personality and preferences.

Hermione had to admit, his record-keeping was spectacular and she felt as if she was reading from her Care of Magical Creatures textbook. She soon lost herself in Charlie's elegant script and was startled when the clock chimed, indicating it was time to go home.

Swearing to herself at getting lost - honestly, it happened more often than she cared to admit - she quickly packed up her papers, accio'd her bag and jacket and headed to the floos to go home. Stepping through the green flames of her apartment in muggle London, she stumbled over Crookshanks who laid in front of the fireplace. Again.

"You silly cat, how many times do I have to tell you not to lay there?" Hermione huffed at the half-kneazle who only meowed at her in response.

She shook her head and set her bag and the packet down, grabbing something quick to eat so she could continue pouring over Charlie's research. She already had so many questions and was only half-way through it. She curled up on the couch and lost herself again in his words, eventually falling asleep against the pages.


	2. Romania

Chapter 2: Romania

Hermione sat up abruptly to Crookshanks pawing at her and one of the pages from Charlie's report stuck to the side of her face. She quickly peeled it off and put the pages back together before glancing at the clock. She only had an hour till she had to meet for the Portkey and she rushed to the bathroom to shower and dress.

Hermione had gotten so lost in Charlie's research she had even forgotten to pack, and she quickly grabbed her beaded bag with the Undetectable Extension Charm. She flicked her wand at her dresser and various items of clothing flew that she thought would be suitable flew into her bag. Crookshanks wound between her legs as she stood and debated on the weather of Romania, and if three jumpers were too many when she realized she never asked anyone to watch him.

Swearing under her breath she quickly penned a letter to Harry and Ginny and sent it off with a tap of her wand. Hermione gathered her bag and Charlie's packet, said a quick goodbye to Crookshanks and Floo'd to the Ministry to meet with Effie. Hermione felt the stares of her co-workers as she stepped through the flames. Was it honestly so odd to see her in casual clothing? She was only wearing a pair of muggle jeans and a white long sleeve t-shirt, but she felt as if she was starkers.

Effie stood at the Ministries Portkey waiting for her. "Hermione! Are you ready, dear?"

"Yes, Ma'am!" Hermione lied, she felt as if she had forgotten a million different things.

Effie frowned at Hermione's outfit, "Won't you be cold, dear? Do you have a jumper?"

Hermione smiled and shook her bag around, wincing slightly as she heard a few things fall, "I've got one here. But it's the middle of May, it should be mild enough to not need one."

"Well, the Portkey is set to leave in three minutes so I'll leave you to it. Owl me if you need anything." Effie made to leave but Hermione stopped her.

"Actually Effie, I forgot to ask, how long will I be in the field for?"

Effie tapped her finger to her chin, "Oh, I think until Monday would be sufficient? I know that documenting the Dragon shouldn't take more than a day or two, but I think it would be good to get some of our own research in the books as well."

Monday would give her four days in Romania, which should be ample time. Hermione thanked her and gave her a smile as she left. She turned to the Portkey, a small silver ball sitting on a stand, and glanced at the clock above her. The seconds ticked by and striking the time to leave, she gripped the ball and was whisked away.

Moments later, she spiralled onto wet grass and took deep breaths to steady her stomach. Portkey was definitely one of her least favourite ways to travel. Hermione stood and brushed herself off while taking in her surroundings. She had been dropped in the valley of a mountain range and she stopped a moment to bask in the warm sunlight and crisp air. She was certainly _not _in England anymore.

"Miss Granger, I presume?"

Hermione whirled around to face a wizard possibly in his late twenties with dark skin, short black hair, and a friendly face. She stuck out her hand for him to shake, "Yes, and you are?"

"Felix Rosier, at your service. Charlie and I work together, he asked me to come to collect you. We just got a new Longhorn today and he's getting close to calming it so I came to get you for him." He turned and gestured for Hermione to follow him down the valley a little ways.

They crested the hill and came upon a large clearing of what she thought to be a few hundred acres of open field. It was surrounded by snow-capped mountains and Hermione took in a sharp breath at the beauty of it.

Felix chuckled beside her, "Just wait till we pass through the barrier and you see the Sanctuary!"

They continued walking for a few minutes until Hermione felt the familiar barrier of a Ward and pressed through until she popped out on the other side. Glancing around, she now understood what Felix meant. From what she could count, at least a hundred different dragons roamed the ground and skies of the field. Dotting the landscape were small cabins and sheds of varying sizes and off to one side were large buildings made of stone which she assumed to be where the dragons slept.

She continued to follow Felix until they reached a large pen surrounded by quite a few people and Hermione quickly picked out Charlie among the crowd. He wasn't hard to miss being the only red-head, but he was also the only one standing on the inside of the fence with the Longhorn.

He had his wand at the ready, but kept a very neutral stance, almost as if he was bored. Hermione could tell, however, that this was a farce and noticed his eyes never left the dragon circling in front of him. The Longhorn was smaller sized, no larger than the Knight Bus but its golden horns were long and impressively sharp.

Hermione regarded the scene in front of her as Felix cut a path between the sea of people and walked her to the front of the fence. The dragon almost seemed to be second-guessing it's angry attitude as it regarded the indifferent wizard in front of him.

"Longhorn's don't like to be ignored, they find it almost annoying. If you can ignore them for long enough, they eventually settle and try to gain your favour instead of your fear." Felix explained as he raised his hand to get Charlie's attention.

Charlie turned his gaze to them and his bright blue eyes regarded Hermione for a moment before turning back to the task at hand. He glanced back to the Longhorn, who had begun pacing in front of him. He turned on his heel and showed his back to the dragon while crossing his arms.

The Longhorn stopped it's pacing for a moment before laying down on its stomach and scooting closer to Charlie. Hermione gripped the bar in front of her in nervousness. She knew Charlie was a skilled Dragon Keeper but still, to watch a dragon come up on someone's back like that would make anyone wary.

She had no reason to fear, however, for the moment the Longhorn reached Charlie's back, it gently nudged him with its snout and he turned around to pet it. Hermione watched in astonishment as this large fearsome reptile turned into a glorified puppy. It rolled to its side as Charlie lavished it with attention and flicked his wand to release the bubble dome enchantment surrounding the pen.

The dragon soared off to join a few others of its breed and Charlie jogged over to meet with her and Felix.

"Hermione! Good to see you, sorry I couldn't meet you at the Portkey." Standing in front of her now, Hermione smiled up to him. He wasn't quite as tall as his brothers, but he was by no means short and he still towered over her and Felix. He was easily the most freckled of the Weasley children, and his tanned skin only made them more visible.

Charlie pulled a strap of leather from his pocket and used it to tie his shoulder-length hair back into a bun. He climbed the fence and swung his legs over the top to drop down next to Hermione. She backed up a step to make room and wrinkled her nose at him invading her personal space.

To say Charlie Weasley was attractive was putting it mildly. He was exceptionally handsome in a rugged sort of way and the sweat dripping down his neck, that would have normally repulsed her, only made him more so. He wore a loose-fitting white cotton shirt that was damp and clung to his broad chest. Hermione looked down at his brown leather trousers and wondered if they made him as hot as she was feeling.

She looked back up to his face and felt a blush creep up her neck as she found him staring at her the same way she had been staring at him. His blue eyes sparkled with familiar Weasley mischief and Charlie gestured behind her with one of his insanely muscular arms.

"Let me show you where you'll be staying." He brushed past her and, for the smallest moment, Hermione felt like a silly school girl again as her heart raced from his close proximity.

He continued walking and she hurried to follow him, saying a quick thank you to Felix who only gave her a smile. She kept her eyes to the sky above her as dragons soared overhead. This was like a small heaven to her, to be surrounded by so much beauty of the wizarding world all in one spot.

They walked past the pen and down the valley a short ways before coming up to a cluster of five cabins all grouped together and it looked almost like a small town.

"How have you been? I haven't seen you since Christmas." Charlie looked at her over his shoulder and Hermione forgot how to speak for a moment. His eyes were the brightest blue she had ever seen, they almost seemed to glow and it always caught her off guard to look in them.

She cleared her throat when she realized he was still waiting for a response, "Fine, fine. I've just been working, mostly. I was actually just given a new project to study the rise in Cornish Pixie numbers when I got sent here instead."

They walked down the row of cabins and came to the very last one. Charlie stood in front of the door and turned to her, "Bloody hell, that sounds extremely boring. Aren't you glad you were reassigned then?" He gave her a grin of incredibly straight white teeth that would have made her parents cry from happiness.

She crossed her arms, "Actually, that's something I want to ask you about. My boss said you requested me? Why?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "I know you. I know you advocate for fair treatment of all magical beings and beasts. Dragons are severely misunderstood and I didn't trust anyone else from your department." He gave her another cheeky grin, "Plus I distinctly remember Ron complaining on multiple occasions of you being a bookworm know-it-all, so I figured you'd appreciate all of my research."

Hermione pressed her lips together at the back-handed compliment, "Well, speaking of your research I do have a few questions."

"Of course, let's go inside and you can see where you'll be staying." He opened the door and offered for Hermione to go first, shutting it after they both walked in.

The cabin was fairly comfortable, she felt like she was back at the campsite when they went to the Quidditch games before fourth year. Everything was made of wood, except for the large stone fireplace that sat against the living room wall. The entire downstairs was one room, the kitchen to the left and living room to the right and she saw a ladder against the back wall which climbed up to a loft.

"I built this one for you last night. My cabin is just next door." Charlie told her as he walked into the kitchen and started a kettle on the stove.

Hermione set her bag down on the chair in the living room and looked around a bit more. "I would have been fine in a tent, you know. You didn't have to bother building me a whole cabin."

Charlie shrugged, "It was only a few simple spells, it took all of an hour. I can't have my Ministry guests sleeping in a tent, especially one that's also a family friend. Mum would send me a howler if she found out."

Hermione laughed at the mental image of buff Charlie Weasley listening to a howler like Ron had second year.

He brought her a cup of tea and they sat in the living room while he started a fire. "Now, your questions?"

Hermione nodded eagerly and accio'd the research papers from her bag, setting them out of the coffee table in front of her. Charlie sat to her right and leaned forward to look at the notes she had scribbled on the edges of the paper. She couldn't tell if it was the fire or his closeness that made her feel suddenly hot but she edged away from both slightly.

He picked up one of the pages and read it in astonishment. "Hermione, I feel as if you've graded my paper."

Hermione blushed, in truth, she hadn't meant to but ended up writing quite a few comments on the sides of the pages that had truly made her feel like a professor grading a students work. She opened her mouth to reply but stopped short when Charlie let out a chuckle.

"Superb handwriting?" He grinned at her, "Thank you for the compliment, Professor, did I earn an O?"

Hermione's face burned, she must have written that while she was half-asleep and she quickly snatched the parchment from his hands. She collected the rest of the papers from the table before he could read anything else she may have embarrassingly written and shuffled them around as she looked for the questions she wanted to ask.

She cleared her throat and kept her gaze pointedly away from Charlie's, "You said here that the dragon grew rather quickly, but didn't list any measurements. How much did it grow since it hatched?"

Charlie scratched at the stubble on his chin, "I think she's nearing about twenty feet in length by now."

Hermione nodded and scribbled his answer down, "And it's four months old?"

"Yes."

"You mentioned at one point it looked similar to a Hebridean Black, do you think it could be some type of crossbreed?"

Charlie leaned back in his chair and sipped his tea, "I thought that at first too, but the Blacks aren't known to seek outside of their breed. None of the other known species would have produced a black dragon so my only thought is that she's something new."

Hermione brushed the feather of the quill against her lips as she thought and looked back to the parchment. Crossbreeds were common enough but a new species of dragon? The idea made her head spin. She could be one of the few people to document an entirely new dragon species for the Ministry, it could be one of her shining achievements. Sure, she helped take down Voldemort and a few generations of Death Eaters but this was a _dragon_.

She looked back up to Charlie and found his eyes trailing on the movement of her quill against her face. His eyes snapped to hers and she felt herself blush at the intense look in his eyes. She cleared her throat and quickly looked away, setting the papers back on the coffee table.

"When can I see it?"

Charlie's face split into a wide grin and he jolted out of the chair, "I can take you to see her right now!"

He strode to the door and opened it as Hermione quickly stood to catch up. He went to his cabin next door, saying he needed to grab something. When Charlie emerged, her mouth dried and throat closed at what he had in his hands.

"Charlie, I'm not getting on that."

"It's the quickest way around here, plus the dragon's love it! Sometimes they chase me like a toy and I have to race around to not get burnt to a crisp." He let out a loud laugh at the fear on her face and mounted the Nimbus. "C'mon, Hermione! I'm just kidding." He gave her a cheeky grin and Hermione felt her heart jump into her throat.

It took a few minutes, and several key points of negotiations on both their parts, before Hermione agreed to join Charlie on his broom. She agreed, but only if she sat in front of him instead of behind and his strong arms held her in place as she gripped onto them for dear life. Charlie's warmth seeped into her back as they flew across to the other side of the Sanctuary, dodging a few dragons in the process.

Hermione's heart was beating in her chest at a dangerous pace, but she didn't know if it was from flying or being pressed into Charlie Weasley. She felt such an odd connection to him, she felt this way every time she saw him. She was sure it was simply the fact he was so unfairly attractive but she couldn't help herself from settling closer in his embrace. Nor did she pay any mind to him holding her a little tighter.

Finally, as they neared a large stone building, Charlie began their descent and a silent scream lodged into the back of Hermione's throat. They finally came back down to the ground and her legs shook as she quickly climbed off the broom. She stumbled a bit and would have fallen had Charlie not caught her. He had pulled her tightly against him and she could feel every inch of his hard body.

A hot blush crept up her neck and she hurriedly pulled out of his embrace, "Yes, well. Thank you for that, I absolutely _hate_ flying."

Charlie smirked at her, "Well, I hate to break it to you, Hermione, but that's how we travel around here."

She grimaced at him and jumped as a loud roar filled her ears.

Charlie's smirk turned into a grin, "That'll be Lumi."


	3. Lumi

Chapter 3: Lumi

Hermione whirled around to the large stone building from where the roar had erupted. Charlie strode past her and up to the small human-sized door. There was another, much larger door in the middle of the wall and she could only assume this was to let Lumi out to fly.

She warily followed Charlie and he opened the door a crack and quickly peered in. He pulled his head back out with a frown.

"Well, she's certainly in a mood today. Let me go in and see if I can calm her down."

He pulled off his cotton shirt and Hermione's mouth dried at the sight. She felt his muscles when he had pulled her against him to stop her from falling off the broom but actually seeing them... that was another thing entirely. Charlie was extremely muscled, no doubt because of his physically demanding job. Freckles covered every inch of his torso and a small bit of ginger hair spread from his chest down to disappear below his belt.

Charlie cleared his throat and Hermione flicked her eyes back up to his as an intense blush spread up her neck and across her cheeks at having been caught... well, checking him out.

He gave her a cheeky grin and quickly darted inside the building, leaving Hermione to fan herself with her hand at his absence. She was feeling unusually warm, and she told herself it was simply from not being used to this sunny weather.

In his absence, she tried to smooth back the curls that had become a tangled mess from flying. She swore as her fingers ripped through a knot, yanking the hair painfully from her scalp. She thought she was having a good hair day, but now it was ruined.

After a few minutes, Charlie peeked his head back out the door and gestured for her to come in.

Hermione carefully stepped inside and inspected her surroundings. The barn was completely open inside with large vaulted ceilings. There was a fair bit of hay scattered around on the floor and various tools lined the walls. It didn't take long for her eyes to land on the large dragon in the centre of the enclosure.

It was nearly as large as the Hungarian Horntail Harry had fought in the Triwizard tournament, though certainly nowhere near as ugly. It had the scales of the deepest black, a shade so dark that the beast seemed to absorb all the light that touched it. Hermione was awed by the icy blue eyes that seemed to pierce through the darkness. They reminded her of the way sunlight reflected off of freshly fallen snow and it sent a chill down her spine.

The dragon was bipedal, and its wings flared out from the sides as it came to stand on its claws. Its head was completely smooth except for the two onyx horns that protruded from the top. They had to have been at least three feet long and twisted into an intricate corkscrew shape.

The creature eyed Hermione as if she were a threat and she nearly snorted at how comical it seemed.

She could feel Charlie come up behind her and his body warmth enveloped her, making her relax slightly.

"She's a proud creature, this one. Do you know how to greet a Hippogriff?"

Hermione nodded and Charlie placed his hand on her elbow and pushed her forward slightly. Her knees shook but she forced herself to remain calm and she took a few steps towards the dragon.

"Go slowly. I'm right here if anything happens."

Hermione gave him a fleeting glance over her shoulder and turned back to the dragon. She bowed low at the waist and kept her gaze focused on the creature in front of her, waiting should she need to bolt. The dragon kept its cool stare and flared its nostrils for a moment. A white trail of smoke puffed out of them and Hermione's body went rigid. She desperately wanted to pull her wand at the ready but wasn't sure if the movement would alarm the dragon.

"Good, walk forward a bit but keep your bow low." Charlie encouraged her from behind.

Hermione felt ridiculous but did as instructed and took a few more steps forward. She was halfway to the dragon now and the distance was making her feel anxious. She hadn't been this close to a dragon since the Ukrainian Ironbelly in Gringotts and her instincts told her to _run. _ But she trusted Charlie and if he believed she could do it, then she wouldn't prove him wrong.

After another minute of bowing deeply, the dragon shuffled in front of her and stood tall on its back legs. It spread its wings out and the tips of them touched the walls of the barn. Hermione glanced up in awe at the impressive span; it had to have been at least 40 feet. The dragon came down hard on its claws and Hermione stumbled back a step.

Charlie was instantly at her side and placed a hand at the small of her back, "Stay bowing." The warmth of his hand burned through her shirt and she was thankful he couldn't see her reddened face.

The dragon craned its neck down, its face was only a few feet from Hermione's. Charlie slowly retreated from her side and Hermione felt the magnificent creature's gaze bore through to her soul. It stared at her for what felt like an eternity before it puffed a cloud of smoke right into her face. Seemingly satisfied, it drew back and stood straight.

Her eyes watered and she struggled to breathe for a moment before Charlie flicked his wand, clearing the smoke. She took a deep breath of fresh air but the scent of the smoke still invaded her nostrils.

"That was bloody fantastic, Hermione! You can stand up now." He came to her side as she stood straight.

He gave her a wide grin and something mischievous glinted in his eyes, "Would you like to pet her?"

Her. Right, the dragon was a her.

Hermione swallowed the thickness in her throat and looked back to the dragon. Her gaze still followed Hermione's every movement and she found herself unable to tear away from the glow of her eyes. She took a tentative step forward and reached her hand out as she closed the remaining distance between them. Charlie stayed near her for support and she was glad for it; Hermione wasn't sure she would have made it had he not been nearby.

Her heart leapt into her throat as she stretched her shaking hand out towards the dragon's head. She willed her legs to remain locked so she wouldn't suddenly drop as Lumi closed the distance. Hermione wildly envisioned her taking one large bite and ripping her hand straight off but instead, she gently pressed her snout against Hermione's palm.

She thought her scales would be cold but surprisingly, they were extremely warm to the touch and Hermione marvelled at their smoothness as she ran her hand up over Lumi's head. She glanced over to Charlie to find him grinning at her and she smiled back. She felt like she just conquered something massive and was extremely impressed with herself.

"You did great, Hermione!" He said as he walked up to rub the other side of Lumi. She leant into his touch and was obviously familiar with him. "Maybe before you leave we can get you to ride her." She snapped a glare at him and Charlie let out a laugh. "Or maybe not."

He walked down the length of Lumi, running a hand along her scales and doing various routine inspections. Hermione let her eyes wander over his muscled body and she felt herself heat at the sight. His arms flexed as he picked up the end of her tail to look at the large glinting platelets that had grown from the end of it.

His back was facing her and she trailed her eyes over his wide freckled shoulders, down the dip of his spine to the top of his trousers and over the swell of his arse-

Lumi nudged her head against Hermione, which caused her to stumble slightly, pulling her from her lecherous gaze. Her face heated as she regained her footing and quickly glanced away from the questioning look Charlie gave her. She focused on petting Lumi's head as she tried to calm her racing heart.

What was it about Charlie that made her so... scatterbrained? Her mind was never scattered!

"Well, now that you've met her, let's let her out to stretch her wings." Charlie walked to the wall with the large door and tugged on the rope which pulled the top to the roof.

Lumi rushed to the door and squeezed her way out before it had even fully opened. She spread her wings and sunned them for a moment before flapping them to take flight. She rapidly climbed high into the sky before she dropped slightly to circle the area.

Hermione watched with fascination as she soared overhead and heard Charlie come up behind her. She turned to him with excitement, "Are any other dragons as friendly as her?"

"Quite a few, actually. Why?" Charlie gave her a quizzical look.

She grinned, "I want to meet them all."

* * *

Hermione huffed as she plopped onto the cushioned seat of the couch and she opened her notebook. She had had quite a full day meeting many other Dragon species, and even though she was only meant to be there to see Lumi, she couldn't help but document all the details that she remembered from the other species.

She met a Romanian Longhorn, who had lapped up every attention she gave it. Later, she found herself in front of Antipodean Opaleye, which she found to be even more beautiful than Lumi. It was too dignified to be pet like some common animal but Hermione greatly enjoyed looking at it.

They had tried to meet with a Chinese Fireball, but the keeper taking care of her said that particular dragon was in heat, and if they tried to get near her it was likely she'd burn them to a crisp.

They met again with Lumi as she came back to her pen for her evening meal and she allowed Hermione to inspect every inch of her. She had done some quick sketches but now was determined to fully draw out Lumi's likeness. It was a secret talent that she could draw, no one ever assumed bookish Hermione could do something artistic and unscholarly.

She had just finished the outline of the body when a knock sounded at her door. She huffed and tore herself away from the sketch, pushing her curls from her face. She opened the door to find Charlie, finally having put on a shirt - albeit a _ tight _maroon tee that left little to the imagination. The sun was setting behind him and cast his wet orange hair in a soft glow that made it look like a dragon had set it on fire.

He was holding two large bowls of what looked like stew and he gave her a small smile. "I brought dinner."

Hermione stepped back and let him enter and she hurriedly cleared away her notebook and quill from the coffee table so they could eat.

He set the bowls down and eyed the notebook, "What's that?"

She returned to her spot on the couch and Charlie sat in the chair next to her. "Oh, nothing!"

Before she could react, he grabbed the notebook and flipped it open to her drawing of Lumi, "Hermione this is really good! I didn't know you could draw."

She pressed her lips together and snatched the notebook from his hands, "No one does. I only use it for its academic application. I want to remember what Lumi looks like after I leave."

She picked up the bowl and the savoury scent of various spices filled her nose and caused her to salivate. "Did you make this?"

Charlie gave her a wink, "You're not the only one with a hidden talent."

They ate in comfortable silence and when she was finished, Hermione set her empty bowl down on the table with an audible thud. There was a question gnawing at the back of her mind that she had to ask, "How did you come up with the name Lumi?"

Charlie smiled as he set his own empty bowl down and relaxed back into the chair, whipping out his wand to restart the fire that had gone out in the hearth.

"We were notified by the Finnish Ministry that they had confiscated a dragon egg from some muggles. Her egg was quite large and had a bluish tint to it, the same colour as her eyes. They found it in a snowstorm and were calling it the Lumimyrsky Kivi which means snowstorm stone. Imagine, thinking a dragon egg was just a large rock."

He gave a small laugh as he stared into the fire. "We actually didn't think it was alive anymore. Normally, a dragon has to be kept in burning hot coals until it hatches but she had survived a snowstorm and was totally fine."

Hermione smiled, "So since she's a new breed, have you thought of an official name yet?"

Charlie scratched the back of his head. "Not yet. I want it to be something fitting, a title worthy of her and I haven't quite figured that out yet." He stood and grabbed the empty bowls, "Anyways, I'll leave you to your_ academic _sketching."

She quickly stood after him to open the door and his scent invaded her nostrils as he passed. He smelled like burnt wood and leather and it called to her in the most peculiar way.

He turned back to her just outside the door, "Hope you're an early riser - I'll be back at dawn." With a wink that set her heart pounding, he walked down the path back to his own cabin.

Hermione frowned at the door as she shut it behind him. With a groan, she plopped back onto the couch and laid down on its plush cushions. What was Charlie Weasley doing to her? She let out a strained laugh, the _what _was pretty obvious if her body could be believed, the _why _of it was the better question. _ Why _was her body calling out to him? She had only arrived this morning and the only thought she could recall from the day was how _bloody hot _he looked without a shirt on.

With a dejected sigh, she sat back up and grabbed her notebook to finish the sketch of Lumi. As the sun continued to set, she lit a few candles surrounding her and, finally done with the outline, she closed her notebook, standing to stretch. She was surprisingly exhausted and figured it was probably best to just get ready to go to bed.

Hermione climbed the ladder of the loft with her bag over her shoulder and was impressed with what she found above. A large queen-sized bed sat between the peak of the roof and a skylight above it cast a faint glow from the moon. She cast a_ Lumos _and walked to the door on the left, discovering the bathroom. She thanked Merlin there was running water and she quickly undressed to take a much-needed shower.

There was a small window on the back wall and she walked to it to discover she could look directly at Charlie's cabin only thirty or so feet away. There was a large window in his living room with the curtains drawn shut and a small window upstairs that she assumed was for a bathroom that mirrored her own.

She lit a few candles in the bathroom and stripped down, hopping into the shower. She sighed as the hot water hit her, washing away the days grime and soothing her stiff muscles. She was surprised to find a soap that smelled like her favourite flower - rose.

Shutting off the water, she grabbed the fluffy towel hanging on the bar next to her and quickly dried off. She wrapped her hair in the fabric and walked back to the bedroom to rifle through her bag for pyjamas.

Hermione quickly dressed in an oversized cotton shirt and shorts and cast a drying charm on her hair. She climbed under the heavy quilt on the bed and laid her head against the soft down pillow. The skylight let her see the vast amount of stars and she smiled as a stray dragon circled in the sky, momentarily blocking out their light.

She drifted off to sleep moments later, dreaming of dragons and a redheaded Dragon Keeper.


	4. Keeper

Chapter 4: Keeper

Hermione woke to the tantalizing smell of frying bacon and she quickly roused herself from the bed. The skylight only showed the light grey of early morning and she groaned and she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

She glanced over the rail of the loft to see Charlie standing at the stove in the kitchen cooking eggs and bacon. A small smile graced her lips and she shook her head. It must be a Weasley thing, invading someone's privacy, Molly was notorious for it. The board under her foot squeaked and Charlie looked up at her with a grin.

"Morning, 'Mione."

"Good Morning, Charlie." She gave him a sleepy smile.

"Breakfast will be ready in a minute." He turned back to the stove, "Do you maybe want to put on something decent and join me?"

She scrunched her eyebrows together in confusion and looked down at her clothing. A deep blush covered her cheeks as she realized she wasn't wearing any trousers, and her shirt only covered the very tops of her thighs.

Hermione quickly ducked back out of sight and rummaged around in her bag, pulling out a pair of jeans and a fitted dark blue cotton shirt. She rushed to the bathroom and quickly changed, then inspected herself in the mirror. Her hair was a knotted mess and she whispered a beauty charm to tame her curls.

She pulled her hair into a ponytail that touched just below her shoulders and, satisfied with her appearance, made her way downstairs. She jumped off the last rung of the ladder to find Charlie sitting in the same spot in the living room as he had last night. She also resumed her spot and picked up a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast.

"This looks great." She took a bite of scrambled eggs and sighed at the taste. When was the last time she had breakfast that didn't consist of power bars?

Charlie watched her eat with a grin and she quirked an eyebrow at him, "What?"

He only shook his head and turned back to his own meal. Once they were done, he informed her they were going to check on Lumi, and then he wanted to introduce her to a few other dragons.

Hermione was so excited she actually bounded from the cabin and went to stand outside. Her mood instantly fell as she turned to find Charlie holding the Nimbus from yesterday.

She swallowed a lump in her throat, "Can't I just Disapparate?"

Charlie grinned and shook his head, "Sorry, unfortunately not. There's a block over the Sanctuary, no Apparating or Disapparating allowed."

She pressed her lips together as Charlie mounted the broom and looked to her with a mischievous glint in his eyes. She crossed her arms and debated how long it would take her to walk there.

"Two hours, if you walk fast." He smirked in arrogance from knowing what she was thinking.

With an aggravated sigh, she mounted the broom in front of him. They soared into the sky and Hermione tightly gripped the strong arms that wrapped around her. She felt the rumble of a laugh from his chest pressed into her back and the whipping wind swallowed the sound of the growl she let out in response.

They quickly flew through the brisk early morning wind. At this time of day, there wasn't a dragon in the sky and for a moment, Hermione closed her eyes to allow herself to enjoy the feel of the air whipping through her hair.

Hermione's enjoyment was quickly replaced by fear at the familiar sensation of plummeting back to the ground. Her heart leapt into her throat and her stomach somersaulted as Charlie dropped them. She half-turned back into his chest for protection, pressing her face into the crook of his neck.

He drew the broom up before they could crash into the ground and gently guided them to a stop in front of Lumi's barn. She nearly kissed the ground at her feet as she hopped off the broom with shaking legs.

Charlie let out a chuckle, "Any better today?"

She didn't answer but shot a glare in his direction as she stalked to Lumi's barn and quickly disappeared inside, another one of his laughs sounding behind her. She was going to wake up extra early tomorrow and walk before she was subjected to that again.

Lumi was sleeping, curled into a ball in the centre of the room and small puffs of smoke billowed out from her nostrils as she snored. Hermione stopped short a few feet away to gaze at her.

"Merlin she's beautiful," she mumbled into the chilled air.

"I'd have to agree." She felt Charlie whisper into her ear behind her.

Hermione looked over her shoulder to find Charlie bent over, his face only a few inches from her own. His words referred to Lumi but he was looking directly at her.

Her mouth went dry at the intense but oddly playful look he was giving her and her face heated at the feel of his hot breath on her face. He smelled like spearmint, one of her favourite scents. It made her slightly dizzy as it filled her nostrils and her eyes flickered between his lips and his eyes.

What would happen if she kissed him?

Did she want to kiss him?

She immediately knew the answer._ Yes._

Why did she feel this uncontrollable pull to him?

Charlie's eyes left Hermione's to glance behind her and a wide grin spread across his face. He straightened, his height causing him to loom over her once again. Hermione turned her head to see Lumi, now awake and stretching her limbs like a cat. She flared out her wings and stretched them before settling back on her haunches. Hermione took mental notes of the way the light filtered through the thin membrane so she could draw it later.

"Good morning, Lumi!" Charlie called out as he walked up to her. Hermione tried not to think about how cold her back was now or the small amount of disappointment she felt. She was standing in front of a brand new species and all she could think about was a man! Even if he was a good looking man… A _really _good looking man. That smelled nice. And- Hermione shook her head, she had a job to do.

Lumi puffed out a curl of smoke as a greeting and Charlie ran his hand over her neck, inspecting over her scales. She nudged her head into him and he stumbled back, holding up his hands in surrender, letting out a chuckle. "Alright, alright. I'm sure you're hungry."

Charlie walked up to the barn door and opened it, allowing Lumi to immediately squeeze through and take flight. He placed his hands on his hips and watched her fly off, then turned to Hermione with a small smile.

"Now, how about those other dragons?"

* * *

Around midday, she had finally met with all of the other dragon species aside from the Hungarian Horntail, as Charlie told her the few they had were _not _comfortable with people. As interested as Hermione was, she remembered how brutal it had been to Harry in the Triwizard Tournament and she didn't really fancy being burned to a crisp.

They decided to stop by the Commons, a large series of cabins connected together with hallways. Charlie told her this is where the Junior Keepers stayed in dorms and took classes until they passed the test and became full Dragon Keepers. There was a large mess hall filled with rounded wooden tables that seemed to be the heart of the Commons and quite a few Dragon Keepers and Juniors filled them. The boisterous sounds of animated conversation reminded Hermione so much of Hogwarts that she instantly felt at home among the crowd.

Hermione's gaze landed on a small table in the corner, where a few people in lab coats huddled together talking enthusiastically. She pointed them out to Charlie and he turned to her with a grin.

"Figures you'd be interested. They're from the Research department. There's a department that handles breeding and hatching the eggs and another that studies the baby dragons as they age."

She eyed them enviously, wishing she could join them and spend her career studying dragons instead of just this once.

Charlie dropped her off at a table in the back with a few other Dragon Keepers and left to grab them lunch. Felix sat among them and he introduced her to the group.

Charity Beedle, a young girl fresh from Hogwarts who was still in training, introduced herself first, excitedly shaking Hermione's hand. She went on for a few minutes about how honoured she was to be meeting one of the Golden Trio and Felix had to pry her away before she cut off the circulation to Hermione's fingers.

A large older man, possibly in his forties, by the name of Orval Hedge introduced himself next. He had a thick accent that Hermione couldn't place and when she asked where he was from, he only grunted in response. The other Keeper of the group, Luella, introduced herself as his wife, which was surprising because she appeared to be only a few years older than Hermione.

She apologized for her husband's rude behaviour and told her they were from Bulgaria, to which Hermione asked them if they knew Viktor Krum. This seemed to light a spark in Orval, who began almost at once talking about Quidditch. When it became clear that she knew nothing about the sport, Hermione told them she had attended the Yule Ball with Viktor and was still very good friends with him. Orval had nearly jumped out of his seat with excitement at this.

Charlie came back a few minutes later to Orval firing off questions in a jumbled mess, most of which Hermione barely understood due to his thick accent. He quirked an eyebrow and she only shrugged in response, giving him a grin.

They ate their lunch and by the end of it, Hermione had decided she greatly liked everyone there.

Charity reminded her so much of Ginny that if it weren't for the blonde hair, she could have sworn that's who she was speaking to. Luella was mostly silent but she had a kind demeanour about her and her husband Orval now treated her warmly, impressed that she knew Viktor Krum personally. Felix and Charlie seemed to be close friends and animatedly told her stories from over the years that had her bursting at the seams with laughter.

Felix tagged along with her and Charlie as they left the mess hall and he continued telling a story of a newborn Common Welsh Green that had thought Charlie's hair was fire and tried to make a nest in it.

"You should have seen this thing try to climb up his shoulders and ruffle around in his hair." He said between laughs. "I still can't decide which was better, the look of confusion on the dragon's face at discovering his hair wasn't hot or the look of terror on Charlie's as a baby dragon climbed on his head."

Hermione wiped tears from her eyes as her laughter died down and grinned at Charlie. He had his lips pressed together in an attempt to hide his smile and he tried to look serious as he crossed his arms, which only made Hermione start laughing again.

Felix clapped a hand on his shoulder while he caught his breath, "C'mon, mate. You can't deny it was hilarious."

Charlie gave him a mocking glare, "I'd like to see_ you _handle a twenty-pound, newborn dragon climb your head to try and nest in your hair."

"Oi, my locks are too beautiful for that." Felix dramatically ran his fingers through his short hair and Charlie finally let out a chuckle.

They parted ways and Hermione had only reluctantly mounted the broom again once Charlie had promised her a surprise. They flew towards Lumi's barn and, as much as she didn't want to admit it, she was starting to enjoy these small moments when his arms were wrapped tightly around her. She felt oddly comforted and safe, even though she was doing one of the things she feared the most.

Even during the ride to the Commons for lunch, she had felt this way and she couldn't help but be overwhelmed with what that meant.

She was pulled from her thoughts as they came to a stop in front of the barn, the door still wide open and no Lumi in sight. Hermione was able to get off the broom without her legs shaking and she felt a small bout of triumph.

"So, where is this grand surprise?" Hermione asked as she turned to Charlie.

He opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by the sound of someone shouting his name. They both looked up to the sky as a young girl dashed towards them atop a CleanSweep. She stopped short on her approach, nearly barreling into Hermione. She was trying to catch her breath and smooth her wild black hair from her face.

Charlie furrowed his brow, "Yes, and you are?"

"Oh! Sorry, Sir. I'm Junior Fanny Harpis!" She stuck out her hand for him to shake. "Commander Rollands would like to see you and Miss Granger, Sir."

Charlie perked up immediately, "Rollands is back?" Harpis nodded and Charlie eagerly mounted his broom, gesturing for Hermione to hop back on.

She sighed dejectedly as she got back on the death trap. Merlin save her, she had just gotten off the damn thing! They followed Harpis back towards the Commons and Hermione twisted slightly to yell back to Charlie

"Who is Commander Rollands?" Her voice was carried off by the wind but Charlie still heard her and leaned forward to speak into her ear.

"My boss! He's been gone for the last two weeks, investigating some black-market rumours. He must have just returned."

They dipped down to the back of the Commons and came down to a large cabin behind it. Harpis nearly collided with another Keeper, a surly old man standing outside, who yelled at her to get back to class. He had a hunched back and crooked nose that looked as if it had been broken numerous times. His voice came out in a raspy mess that sounded as if his vocal cords had been cut.

Charlie nodded in greeting to the Keeper before the hunched man turned on foot and walked back into the building.

Charlie gave her an apologetic smile, "Keeper Talpin, he isn't a real big people person."

They followed after him, quickly walking through a large reception room and up a flight of wide stairs before coming to a door close to the landing. There was a golden nameplate engraved with _Rollands _and Charlie tapped his fingers against the wood.

The door swung open to a brightly lit office with various pieces of wooden furniture. A large oak desk settled in the middle of the room, and a short burly man stood behind it. The sun glinted off his bald head and Hermione squinted her eyes against the glare. He was holding a file in his hand and snapped it shut as they walked in. Charlie rushed forward to shake the man's hand and Hermione trailed in after him.

"Commander, how was Japan? Were you able to find out anything about the eggs?" Charlie rushed out as he stepped back next to Hermione.

"Introductions first, Weasley." The man walked around the desk and came to stand next to her. Surprisingly, the man was only a bit taller than her, but still had a formidable air of authority about him. The thick grey moustache on his face twitched as he stuck his hand out for Hermione and she took it, attempting to match his hard shake.

"Commander Grant Rollands, at your service Miss Granger." He dropped her hand and walked back to the opposite side of his desk. "Have you settled in well? Weasley been treating you alright?"

"Yes, Sir. He's introduced me to quite a few dragons and a few other Keepers as well." She replied, giving the Commander a smile.

"Good good, now Weasley. To answer your questions- Japan was bloody awful. It rained the whole time we were there. _Luckily _we were able to catch the devils that stole the eggs and sent the bloody bastards to the Japanese Ministry for punishment."

"What eggs were they?" Charlie eagerly asked and Hermione tried to bite back her smile. He was as excited as a child in a toy store.

"A Ukranian Ironbelly and a Norwegian Ridgeback- don't know how they managed to get the buggers but they're in the hatchery now being looked after by the Research department. However..." He trailed off and glanced at Hermione as if he was unsure to continue.

She immediately took the hint and offered to wait in the hallway. Rollands gratefully thanked her and told her there was a small snack bar downstairs where she could grab some tea while she waited. She found herself there a few minutes later, curled up on a leather chair sipping a cup of tea in front of a large fireplace.

"You look mighty comfy." Charlie's voice startled her out of her staring in the fire and she spilt some tea on her shirt. Mumbling a swear and a quick _Scorgify_, she stood from her seat and tried to hide the embarrassed blush that appeared. Charlie didn't seem to notice, however. He had a tight smile on his face and he looked upset.

"That surprise is going to have to wait, Rollands needs me for something... confidential. I'll be gone for the rest of the afternoon."

Hermione tried not to let her disappointment show before quickly berating herself. Honestly, why was she even disappointed?

She gave him a quick nod, "It's alright but... How will I get back?" She was _not _going to ride a broom by herself and she imagined the walk had to be at least three or four hours to her cabin.

Charlie winced and scratched the back of his head, "Well..."

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him and crossed her arms, "Well what, Charlie?"


	5. Peeking

Chapter 5: Peeking

"No, absolutely not. I'll walk." Hermione said as they now stood outside with Junior Harpis. She had offered to take Hermione back to her cabin and Hermione, being the sensible witch she was, would absolutely not allow it. The girl couldn't even safely stop and Hermione was resolved _not _to die today.

The disheartened look on Harpis's face made a guilty feeling settle in the pit of her stomach. She was surely of age, at least 17 or 18, but the puppy dog eyes she wore made her seem childlike.

"I promise you, Miss Granger, I'm a fair flyer! I didn't play Quidditch in school or anything but Madame Hooch always said I was decent!"

Hermione pursed her lips, "What did she say about your landing?"

Harpis toed her boot into the ground, "Well... She said I need to work on that bit but we have flying lessons here, and Keeper Bullwark said I've gotten a lot better since I came here a few months ago!"

Hermione sighed and looked back to Charlie who was grinning at their conversation. She narrowed her eyes at him and his grin only widened. She sighed again and turned back to Harpis, who was still giving her puppy dog eyes and Hermione felt her resolve crack.

"Fine."

Harpis immediately perked up and mounted her CleanSweep. Hermione silently reflected on her life choices as she mounted the broom in front of the Junior Keeper and pulled her wand at the ready in case she fell off and a Bouncing charm was needed.

Charlie walked forward and grabbed her hand, giving it a squeeze. "Have fun, if I don't get back too late, I'll come see you when I'm done."

He gave her a lopsided grin that made her stomach flutter before dropping her hand and stepping back. Harpis shot them into the air and Hermione let out a small yelp at the abrupt ascent. She gripped the broom handle in front of her for dear life and tried not to pay attention to how fast they flew over the landscape. It was such a different version of flying to Charlie's, and she realized she appreciated how carefully he had been flying with her.

"So how long have you and Keeper Weasley been dating?" She heard Harpis yell into her ear.

Hermione gave her an incredulous look over her shoulder regretting it as the movement made her head spin slightly, "What? We aren't dating!"

Harpis frowned, "Oh, I'm sorry! Just the way you guys were with each other on his broom earlier and he squeezed your hand when we left I thought..."

She trailed off and Hermione turned back around with pinched lips. What could she mean how they were with each other on the broom? She acted the exact same as she did now with Harpis! Although, she could admit maybe she leaned back a bit more into Charlie... But that was only because she was scared of flying! And he only squeezed her hand to reassure her because he knows of her fear!

After a short while, they neared the small cluster of cabins and Hermione gripped Harpis's willowy arms as they plummeted to the ground. Her wand dug into her palm and she ran every charm she knew through her mind should they be needed.

Surprisingly, Harpis came to a somewhat slow stop at the row of homes-though she did have to jerk her broom slightly at the end to avoid colliding with a tree. Hermione quickly hopped off and her knees gave out as she stumbled onto the dirt path. Harpis quickly helped her up and gave her a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, Miss Granger. Thought I had good control at the end there but that tree came out of nowhere."

Hermione only waved her off and quickly walked to her cabin to put as much distance as she could from that stick of death. She pushed through her door as Harpis flew off and turned to shut it closed with shaking hands. She leant against the rough wood as she tried to compose herself. Once her heart stilled she thought about what Harpis had said. She really thought she and Charlie were dating?

Hermione imagined for a moment what it would be like to be Charlie's girlfriend. To kiss him... To feel his hard body pressed against hers... He was so playful and she wondered if that would translate to the bedroom or if he was more serious with something so intimate.

She shook her head to try to clear the dirty thoughts from her mind. This was one of her best friends' brothers. She could _not _think like that.

She needed a shower. Yes. An ice-cold shower.

Hermione quickly showered and dressed in a pair of leggings and an overly large jumper that hung off one of her shoulders. She pulled on a pair of thick socks that Molly had knitted for her one Christmas and headed back downstairs. She plopped onto the couch and flicked her wand at the fireplace to start a fire. She picked up her sketchbook and pencil, intent on finishing her drawing of Lumi.

A few hours later as the sun started to set, Hermione finally placed her pencil down with a sigh. A sketched image of the dragon, wings widely spread as if to take flight, stared back at her from the page. She had to admit, this was probably her best work yet.

She flipped to a new page and began to sketch out a close up of Lumi's head, she wanted to get as much of the detail in her horns as possible.

By the time she finished this one, it was dark outside and it had to have been well past nine. Hermione set her sketchbook down and walked to the kitchen to find a snack to eat. She opened the small refrigerator to find it stocked to the brim with food. She spied an apple and pulled it out, biting through the thick skin with a crunch.

Charlie must have stocked this for her and she wondered what had become of him this afternoon. She glanced out the window that looked towards Charlie's house to find it still dark and she sighed disappointedly.

No, not disappointedly. She was here for work, that was _all. _

She chucked the apple core into the trash and walked back to the couch, summoning some parchment and a quill to pen a letter to Effie. She kept it brief, only detailing a few things she had learned about the dragon. Then she quickly scribbled another to Harry to make sure Crookshanks was doing alright without her.

Hermione stood and stretched her back out, she was exhausted and sleep was calling to her. She climbed up the ladder and went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Noticing a light shining nearby, she glanced out the window to find warm light coming from Charlie's bathroom window. Her stomach fluttered at what she found and a deep blush crept onto her cheeks. She felt toothpaste dribble down her chin and she wiped it away as she stared at the sight in front of her.

He was naked.

Beautifully stark naked and Hermione felt unable to look away. He was facing her and her eyes unabashedly roamed over the chest she had become familiar with. Her eyes trailed lower, following the trail of dark auburn curls and her mouth dried at what she found. He spun around slightly to turn on his shower and the hormonal rage inside her quieted instantly.

Was that... a birthmark? She squinted and inched closer to the window to try to get a better look.

It was definitely a birthmark. In the same spot as hers. In the shape of a dragon.

Charlie Weasley had a matching, dragon-shaped birthmark on his left arsecheek.

Charlie Weasley was her _soulmate_.

Hermione stumbled back from the window in a panic and quickly rushed down the ladder, nearly falling in her haste. She started to pace back and forth in front of the dying embers as her mind raced. This was impossible. Charlie couldn't possibly be her soulmate - that was ridiculous. Her mind must have been playing tricks on her, it was impossible! Right?

She sat briefly on the couch and pressed her hands together but stood back up in an instant to continue pacing. She didn't know what to do with herself. She had so many questions but no way to answer them. Is this why she felt so drawn to him? She let out a cry of frustration as she flopped back onto the couch. Before she could even settle she sat up abruptly as she had an epiphany. She could write to Luna! Luna had found her soulmate in Ron, and she was one of the only people she knew that had.

Hermione started to scribble out every question she had. What was it like when she was around Ron before she knew they were soulmates? Was there an undeniable pull? What did it feel like? Did she feel extremely attracted to him? She made no mention of Charlie, should Ron read her message as well and quickly sealed the letter, sitting back with a sigh.

The rush of adrenaline she had was now gone and she felt even more tired than she had before. Grudgingly, she climbed back up the ladder and risked another glance out of her bathroom window. Charlie's house was pitch black again and she let out a sigh of relief. She quickly readied for bed and climbed under the warm fleece blankets as she looked up at the skylight.

Hermione wondered what Charlie was doing right now. Was he lying in bed, exhausted but mind reeling like her? Or was he fast asleep? Did he suspect at all that she was his soulmate?

Good Godric, it felt so weird to say that.

What did this mean, and was she supposed to tell him? Was she supposed to wait? And what happened if she did tell him? _How _did she tell him?

Hermione turned over on her side and squeezed her eyes shut to try to quell her racing thoughts. She laid like that for a few minutes before she gave up with a huff and sat up. She opened her bag and rifled around for a few minutes to grab a pair of boots, quickly slipping them on.

She needed a walk to calm her jumbled mind, to be able to work through her questions somehow. She walked downstairs and crept outside, gently closing the front door behind her. She headed towards the woods a small distance away from the cabins and crossed the treeline. The moon was full and had lit her path, but the canopy of the trees darkened it instantly.

Hermione cast a Lumos as she walked further into the woods and carefully stepped over gnarled roots as she tried to push all the questions she had to the back of her mind. She was able to keep most of them at bay except for one.

Should she tell him?

What would be the best course of action? Would he even believe her? She supposed she'd have to show him her birthmark as well... Merlin, she'd have to show him her arse cheek.

She stumbled over a thick root at the jarring thought and scraped her hand against the rough bark to catch herself from falling. She hissed out a curse at the sharp pain and pulled her hand away to inspect it. It wasn't anything major but must have nicked a vein because blood started to pool in the cuts.

"Hermione?"

Hermione whirled around to see Charlie a few feet behind her, bare-chested and only wearing a pair of thin cotton trousers. His hair was pulled back into a low bun and a few strands fell forward to frame his face as he leaned down to look at her hand.

He reached out to grab it but Hermione quickly backed away and looked to him with wide eyes. She felt guilty as his face fell but she had so much to process that she was _not _ready to deal with yet. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to stop herself from spewing out every question that ran through her mind that night if he tried to touch her. His presence alone was making her mind a bit foggy with desire.

He dropped his hand to his side and frowned, "Are you alright?"

Hermione nodded her head but kept her lips pressed together as she continued to put space between them. He took a few steps towards her with a look of concern on his face and she stumbled over another root. Her back knocked into a tree and she let out a small squeak, keeping her eyes on Charlie as he came to stand closer to her.

He was blocking her path and she glanced over his shoulder back towards the cabins. If she could just manoeuvre around him and make a run for it she'd be able to get back to her cabin where she could curl up into a ball under her quilt...

Charlie had moved closer while she was lost in thought and she could feel his body heat radiating on her side. Her heart was hammering in her chest and her breathing ragged as she flicked her gaze to his briefly before putting it back to the ground.

He furrowed his brow and his frown deepened as he took in her state. She probably looked insane but if he knew what she knew, he would probably feel the same way.

"Hermione, what's going on? Did something happen?"

She tried not to laugh at the question.

He was close enough now that all he had to do was reach out slightly to touch her but he kept his hands at his sides. Hermione kept her gaze to the forest floor and he finally reached out to take her hand. She allowed him this time, she told herself it was only because she had nowhere else to run.

The rough skin of his hand left fire in its path as he pulled her hand to his face to inspect her cuts. The bleeding had stopped and left dried blood trails on her palm. She let her eyes trace over the contoured planes of his freckled torso to his face.

He was looking at the scrape on her hand but his eyes flicked to her as she came upon his face and she sucked in a breath at the emotion they held. Hermione had never seen him so serious, it made her heart race and her stomach flip.

Charlie lowered their hands but kept a hold of hers and took a step closer. "Hermione. What is it?"

She took a deep breath to try to calm her racing heart and looked up at his concern-filled face. She had so many unanswered questions and she couldn't chance telling him just yet. What if she was wrong? She could have easily mistaken his birthmark shape.

"I'm fine," she told him in a clipped tone and pulled her hand from his. "I just needed a walk and you startled me is all."

He frowned again but only nodded and offered to walk with her back to the cabins. She readily agreed, wishing more than anything to hide away from the shame and guilt she was feeling. They walked back in silence, Charlie trailing behind her as they stepped through the thickets.

When they finally came to the backside of their cabins, she quickly mumbled goodnight to Charlie and rushed towards her door. She risked a backwards glance as she went to shut it and felt a small pang of disappointment at finding he had already left.


	6. Flying

Chapter 6: Flying

Hermione woke early the next day, intent on walking to Lumi's barn before Charlie could force her onto the broom. She momentarily worried he would be upset and think she was trying to avoid him, but pushed the thought away as she dressed. She couldn't risk physical contact right now.

She rushed downstairs and grabbed the letters she wrote last night to put them in the owl post-collection box on her door. Taking a moment to think, she also grabbed her sketchbook. She was struggling with the curl of Lumi's horns and she wanted to get it right.

She hurriedly opened the door and shoved the letters in the box before walking in the direction of Lumi's barn. There was still a slight chill in the air and the sun was just rising as Hermione made her way over the open field. She walked at a brisk pace for the better part of an hour before she heard the whooshing of a broom. She let out a sigh and braced herself to speak to Charlie.

Instead, Felix lowered in front of her on a Firebolt and he wore a smirk on his face as he took in her dishevelled look. In her haste to leave early, she hadn't even brushed her hair and she was sure it looked wild.

"Charlie is going to be with Commander Rollands this morning. He asked me to take you to Lumi but what a surprise it was when we found your cabin completely empty." He gave her a grin and flew his broom around her as he waited for an explanation.

She crossed her arms and huffed, "I'm not riding on a broom with you, Felix. I am perfectly capable of walking, thank you very much."

To make her point she continued on her path and Felix slowly flew next to her, his grin still plastered on his face.

"So what exactly happened yesterday? Charlie's in a shite mood, you're in a shite mood..."

She stopped walking and glared daggers at him. Felix's grin only widened and he whirled to a stop in front of her.

Hermione pressed her lips together before sighing in defeat, "If I get on the broom will you _stop _asking questions?"

Felix shrugged, "Only one way to find out."

Hermione mounted the broom and they took off towards Lumi's barn. Felix was a decent flyer, certainly much better than Junior Harpis but he still didn't make her feel as safe as Charlie did. She wondered if that was an indicator of the soulmate bond or if Charlie was just an expert broomsman.

They landed gently in front of the barn and Hermione frowned as she realized she was becoming too comfortable with flying. She certainly didn't feel as nervous in the descent.

The two of them entered Lumi's barn and Felix gave some attention to the dragon who happily lapped it up like a puppy. She told Felix of her desire to sketch her horns and he showed her how to open the barn door before taking off to take care of his own dragons.

Hermione ran her hand over Lumi's head before sitting on a stool in front of her and inspecting the way her horns curled slightly. She quickly sketched it down, surprisingly Lumi stayed mostly still throughout.

Hermione finished after about an hour and snapped her sketchbook closed. She hurriedly opened the barn door and laughed lightly at Lumi's excitement as the dragon took off into the sky. Not really knowing what else to do with herself, she reasoned the Commons should only be a short hours walk away and she set off in its direction.

She neared the large cabin after a short walk and went inside to grab herself some breakfast, having also skipped that in her haste to leave early. She tried not to think about the fact that she might see Charlie and tried to ignore her disappointment when she didn't spot the redhead in the mess hall.

She did, however, see Luella and Orval sitting at the same table as the day before. After grabbing a small bowl of porridge and a muffin, she made her way over to the couple and they greeted her cheerily. Well, Luella did at least, Orval only gave her a grunt - he was apparently not a morning person.

"Where is Charlie?" Luella asked her as she sipped her coffee.

The mention of the Dragon Keeper set her nerves on edge and Hermione tried to keep her mask cool as she responded, "I'm not sure, Felix told me he had to do something with Rollands this morning."

Luella gave her a gentle smile and Hermione felt a small blush spread across her cheeks at the knowing look she gave her. They sat and chatted for a few more minutes before they had to leave for work. Hermione waved goodbye from her seat at the table and sighed as she finished the last of her coffee. The mess hall had emptied and now it was just her and a few other older Keepers. She glanced out the main door of the hall that opened to the classroom lined corridor.

Would she get in trouble for taking a peek around?

Summoning her Gryffindor courage, she made her way through the large wooden doors and crept quietly down the hallway. All of the doors had windows and she peered into each classroom as she passed them by. Most of the rooms were empty but she found a few that had a handful of Junior's listening attentively to an instructor.

Hermione stopped at one where a woman was flicking her wand at the chalkboard and the anatomy of an Antipodean Opaleye was drawing itself on the board. She leaned against the wall next to the door to keep herself hidden as she listened to the lecture.

It felt like such an odd thing to be sneaking around just to eavesdrop on a lesson, but she had to admit there was something about it that she missed. She missed the excitement of learning new information and when the Keeper asked a question to the class, she almost raised her hand to answer.

Chuckling to herself she squeaked in surprise when the door suddenly opened and the Keeper giving the lecture peered down her nose at her.

"Are you going to come in or stand at the door the entire time?" She asked her in a thick Russian accent.

Hermione blushed at having been caught and she tried to stutter out a response. The Keeper held up a hand to silence her and she stepped to the side, gesturing for Hermione to enter. Words escaping her in the face of the stern-looking woman, Hermione shuffled inside and blanched when she saw multiple pairs of eyes staring at her.

Thankfully Charity was among them and she waved to Hermione and gestured to the empty seat next to her. Hermione gratefully sank into it and Charity leaned over to whisper to her.

"What are you doing here?"

Hermione gave her a nervous glance, "I don't really know I was just in the hallway listening..."

Charity smiled knowingly, "Keeper Kotov has a way of getting people to do things without much of a fight. At this point, it'd probably just be best to stay for the class. She probably mistook you for a new Junior."

Keeper Kotov closed the door and turned back to the board, continuing her lecture of the Opaleye. She was very well educated and gave so much new information that even Hermione didn't know. She noticed the rest of the Juniors were taking notes and pulled out her sketchbook from inside her jumper to take some of her own. This information was too good to pass up.

The class went on for almost a whole hour and Hermione had immediately become the know-it-all of the classroom. Keeper Kotov had warmed up to her and seemed to be thankful to have someone answering every question. Thankfully, since she was only a few years older than the other students and quite petite, she didn't feel too terribly out of place.

As the other Juniors filed out of the room she asked Charity what class was next.

"Flying! It's my favourite one of the day."

Hermione grimaced and tried to break from the group but was soon whisked into the packed hall and somehow got sucked into the trail of students heading out to the large open field. Once they had gone outside she stopped just at the door and made to go back in, but the Keeper running the flying lesson called her over. He was a middle-aged skinny man with short-cropped grey hair. This must be Keeper Bullwark that Harpis had mentioned.

"Don't be shy, Junior. What's your name?" He asked her as she swore under her breath and slowly walked up to the rest of the group. They must have had flying lessons at the same time, as at least thirty Juniors stared at her, waiting for her to answer.

Not wanting to call any unwanted attention to herself she gave him a fake name, "Grant, sir. But I'm not a-"

"Junior Harpis, nice of you to finally join us." Bullwark cut her off as Harpis approached from behind them. She scratched the back of her head and gave a nervous smile as she filed in with the other Juniors. She noticed Hermione standing at the front and gave her a confused look.

"Now, Junior Grant. How good are you at flying?"

"Well, I'm not-"

"That bad, eh?" What was it with this insufferable man and not letting her speak? "That's alright! Junior Harpis couldn't even come to a stop without crashing into something when she arrived three months ago! Let's say we get you on a broom and see what we're working with."

Hermione froze. Oh no. No. No. No. _No. _

"Sir, I can't fly!" She called out after him but he was already heading towards the broom shed across the field so he didn't hear her.

The rest of the Juniors were following him to grab their own brooms, some taking off to the sky immediately, while others were chatting on the ground.

Harpis ran up to Hermione after retrieving her own broom, obviously confused, "Miss Granger, what are you doing here?"

Hermione threw her hands up in the air, "I have no bloody idea! One minute I was in the commons, innocently listening in on a lecture, and the next minute, I'm Junior Grant."

Harpis tried to bite back her grin at Hermione's predicament, and let out a yelp as Keeper Bullwark yelled at her to get in the air. She gave Hermione an apologetic smile as she took off shakily and Hermione huffed in annoyance.

Keeper Bullwark returned with a CleanSweep in hand and held it out for Hermione to take. She crossed her arms and glared daggers at the offending piece of cleaning equipment. "Sir, I'm not getting on that. I'm not a-"

She almost let out a screech of annoyance as he interrupted her again. "C'mon, Grant. I'm sure you can't be that bad." He thrust the broom into her hands and stepped back, gesturing for her to mount it.

She bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from swearing at him and almost died from mortification as Charlie rounded the corner of the building with Commander Rollands in tow. His eyes instantly settled on her holding a broom and his face split into a wide grin. He turned to speak to Rollands and the Commander gave him a nod before walking back the way he came.

Charlie jogged over to her and she paled as his grin widened even further.

"Keeper Bullwark! How are you?"

Bullwark turned on his heel and shook Charlie's hand, "Not too bad, Weasley. Just introducing Junior Grant to flying, don't think she's done much of it, seems to be nervous."

Charlie looked over at her and she wanted to smack the grin off his face as he looked her up and down. "Junior Grant, huh? Well let's see it then, are you going to take off?"

Hermione's hands tightened on the wood and she scowled at him as his grin got impossibly bigger. Her palms started to sweat slightly as she formulated a plan. He was making fun of her, but she wouldn't give him something to make fun of.

She mounted the broom and took a deep breath as her heart hammered in her chest. She gripped the handle in front of her as she summoned every ounce of her Gryffindor courage. She could do this, how hard could it be? All she had to do was fly into the air and not look down.

Or cry.

Or fall.

Hermione kicked her feet off the ground and suddenly her CleanSweep took off, barreling towards the Juniors in the sky. She let out a little squeal at the abrupt ascent and she swore she heard the sound of Charlie's laughter over the wind and blood pounding in her ears.

She pulled up on the handle of her broom and came to a sharp stop before colliding with someone. She tipped over the edge slightly but righted herself before she fell off. Her breathing was uneven and her arms ached from how tightly she gripped the wood. She clenched her eyes shut until she was sure she wouldn't release the terrified scream that was imminent.

She glanced around to find a few of the Juniors snickering at her and her face heated as she tried to calm herself. It wasn't so bad up here after all but when she made the mistake of looking down to Charlie thirty feet below, her stomach gave a slight lurch.

Charity pulled up beside her on a Nimbus 2000, looking completely at ease being so high up. "Hermione, are you alright?"

Hermione raised a hand to wave her off causing her broom to tilt to the left slightly and she slammed her hand back down on the wood to catch herself.

Keeper Bullwark and, unsurprisingly, Charlie met them in the sky on their own brooms a few moments later. Charlie gave her a roguish grin that, under normal circumstances, would have made her stomach flutter. Instead, it only filled her with trepidation. What was he up to?

"Nicely done, Junior Grant. A little shaky on the ascent but nothing we can't work with. Watch your elbow lock now, or you'll have sore arms for the rest of the day." Bullwark said as he pulled a small silver whistle from under his shirt.

Charity seemed to immediately perk up at this, as did a few other Juniors. Someone groaned in the back and Hermione wondered what was happening.

"Right! Keeper Weasley here has suggested a game of Quidditch for today's lesson. Who would like to be Captains?"


	7. Quidditch

Chapter 7: Quidditch

About a dozen Juniors rushed forward and swarmed Bullwark begging to be Captain. He eventually picked a flat-nosed boy named Aves and, of course, Charlie had volunteered himself as the other. They started to pick out teammates and, much to everyone's surprise as well as her own, Charlie picked Hermione first.

She gingerly inched her broom towards him but went too far and had to carefully circle back. She heard a few people laugh and she scowled in Charlie's direction as she came up beside him.

"Why, exactly, are you pretending to be a Junior?" Charlie whispered to her after he picked another Junior from the group.

Hermione's scowl deepened, "I only eavesdropped on a class! Somehow I got sucked into the group heading out to the field and Bullwark kept cutting me off when I tried to tell him."

Charlie smirked, "Well, guess you'll have to play a game of Quidditch now." He picked Charity next and she darted over to their growing team. He looked at her from out of the corner of his eye, "Have to say though, you look bloody brilliant on a broom."

Hermione's face turned bright red and her broom jerked forward, causing her to let out a small squeal. Charlie laughed loudly beside her and her blush deepened as she tried to right herself.

"Well... Maybe not _that _brilliant."

She turned to glare at him and he responded with a lop-sided grin.

Once the teams were finally split, Charlie gave everyone a position. Since there were 12 players on their team, they had to double up on the positions. They ended up with two Keepers, four Chasers, four Beaters and two Seekers.

Charlie had debated for a long while on what position for Hermione to play even though she begged to just keep score multiple times. Eventually, he had decided she'd play as the other Keeper since- he told her _cheekily _\- he'd catch the snitch quickly and it wouldn't matter how many points the other team scored.

Hermione carefully followed her other teammate that was assigned to be a Keeper and jerked to a stop in front of the levitating rings. She blew out a sharp breath, somewhat proud of herself for having lasted this long on a broom. If only her friends could see her now!

Her pride only lasted for a moment before Bullwark launched the quaffle into the air and the other team's Chasers made a beeline towards her. She was floating in front of the rightmost ring and they chucked the quaffle at her head.

Hermione ducked and felt a small brush of air ruffle the top of her hair before loud shouts of "Good job!" and "Nice one!" were heard.

She lifted her head and caught the scowl of a few of her teammates as they all met back in the centre of the field. This went on for a few more rounds until Hermione became decidedly focused on blocking at least _one _shot. Her moment finally came when one of the Chasers launched the quaffle directly at her. Instead of shying away from the hard object as she had been, she instead braced her body for impact.

She had expected the quaffle to be extremely tough and possibly leave some type of physical pain, but it only hit her with a hard thud and fell to the ground. Her arm slightly ached from where it hit her, but all-in-all she was perfectly fine.

Hermione's teammates all let out shouts of encouragement and she grinned at them, a small bout of adrenaline coursing through her.

After another twenty or so minutes of the game, Charlie was able to catch the snitch and her teammates all cheered, including herself, at their victory. It was the first time she had ever participated in a game of Quidditch and she was starting to understand why everyone loved it so much.

As the other wizards and witches around her started to descend, Hermione became nervous again. She didn't know how to get down and she gripped the handle of the broom shakily as she thought of a plan.

Charlie pulled up beside her and gave her an encouraging smile, "Point your broom handle down to the ground and lean in slightly. Be slow about it, or you'll come to a crash landing."

Hermione followed his instructions and began to slowly lower to the ground. Charlie went with her, giving her quiet words of encouragement. Once they had lowered enough, Hermione stuck her feet out, gently touched down and dismounted from her broom. Charlie did the same and gave her a wide grin.

"Fantastic job,_ Junior Grant. _I think we'll make a Dragon Keeper out of you yet." He gave her a wink as she frowned at him and Keeper Bullwark walked up to take the CleanSweep back.

"Not bad, Grant. Your descent looked great, though your reflexes could do with some work." Bullwark smacked her on the shoulder, "Nothing a few months of training can't fix!"

Hermione turned her frown towards Bullwark, "Sir, I'm not a-"

"Not what?" He interrupted.

"NOT A JUNIOR!" Hermione yelled, frustrated with how many times this insufferable man cut her off.

A hush fell over the remaining Juniors and Bullwark looked at her quizzically. "Not a Junior? Then who are you?"

Charlie leaned over and whispered in his ear and Bullwark's eyes widened as he took Hermione in. "Hermione Granger? In my class?"

The silence now turned to whispers behind her and she grimaced but shot an appreciative look at Charlie.

"It's an honour to meet you, Miss Granger!" Bullwark stuck out a hand and she shook it. She was glad she wasn't being mistaken for a Junior anymore, though she could do without all the whispering.

"Hermione is here to research Lumi for the Ministry, though I'm not quite sure how she got wrapped up in Junior classes..." Charlie quirked an eyebrow at her and she toed her boot in the ground.

Thankfully, Charity came up and explained what had happened.

"Ah, yes Keeper Kotov can be quite... intimidating," Bullwark said, nodding his head as if he understood her predicament perfectly. "Well, I can't say I'm sorry to have mistaken you for a Junior! It was a pleasure to have you in class, Miss Granger. While you're here, if you ever want to learn some more flying, please don't hesitate to swing by!"

Hermione smiled at him and agreed, though she knew perfectly well that was the last thing she wanted to do. Yet, there was a small part of her that had greatly enjoyed being on a broom of her own. The satisfaction of succeeding at the only thing that had ever been a struggle was exhilarating. Maybe if she just practised a little bit more...

Charlie placed his hand at the small of her back, sending jolts of electricity up her spine. They said their goodbyes to Bullwark and he led her away from the group to around the side of the building. He walked until they neared the cabin where the Commander's office was and he stopped short of the door, finally breaking into a fit of laughter.

Hermione looked at him incredulously before her own small giggles mixed with his and before they knew it, they were leaning on one another laughing hard. A few Keepers passed by looking at them like they were crazy but Hermione didn't care. Eventually, they both caught their breath and she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"I can honestly say that was one of the funniest things I've seen in a long time." Charlie let out a few more small chuckles as he wiped his own tears.

"I hope you don't mean my flying!" Hermione placed her hands on her hips and gave him a mocking glare, though her lips still held a smile.

He held his hands up in surrender and grinned, "Of _course _not, I would never! Just the look on Bullwark's face when he realized who you were..."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Please, I hate it. I didn't do anything special, I just helped Harry."

Charlie immediately sobered up and the serious look on his face had her stomach flip. "Hermione, you rescued an Ironbelly from Gringotts. Do you know what that means to us? Or how many times that story's been told around here?"

Her mouth went dry and she shook her head as he gave her a gentle smile.

"You may be famous in Wizarding England but around here you're more than just the girl that helped Harry Potter. The Keepers respect you. Even though we specialize in dragons, we all have a love for the creatures that roam the world."

Charlie's eyes sparkled as he looked into her eyes. "To them… to me… you're a hero."

For a moment, Hermione was frozen but before she could clear her head, Charlie turned from her then and walked into the cabin. She swallowed a lump in her throat and followed after him. He was waiting at the bottom of the stairs and asked if she'd wait for him so he could give her the surprise he had promised yesterday. She happily nodded and made to sit on the couch in front of the fireplace.

"I'll only be a few minutes so try not to wander off and get sucked into another flying lesson." He winked at her and headed up the stairs with a small laugh.

Hermione huffed and crossed her arms as she sat and waited. It was unfair how he could just say whatever he wanted and then immediately act unaffected. Meanwhile, she was lucky if she could form a whole sentence. At least whatever happened between them last night in the woods seemed to be forgotten and she was grateful for it. She had acted like an imbecile and he was graciously not bringing it up. Merlin knows she had no idea what to say if he asked.

She briefly wondered if Luna had written her back yet. Hermione couldn't decide if she even wanted Luna to write her back. What was she supposed to do if her suspicions were correct and Charlie was her soulmate?

Why did she feel sudden disappointment at the thought of him not being hers?

Only ten minutes passed before Charlie came back down to retrieve her and she merrily followed him out of the building. Whatever this surprise was he seemed excited and it infected her own mood. She pushed her thoughts of soulmates and Luna to the back of her mind. She just wanted to enjoy his company while she could.

They mounted his Nimbus, after she swatted at his arm when he offered the CleanSweep for her to fly by herself. Hermione for once was not afraid and they quickly flew towards Lumi's barn.

Hermione settled back against Charlie and relished in the feel of his solid chest and his strong arms around her. It had only been a day since they last flew together but it surprised her how much she missed it. It felt so different from flying with Harpis and Felix, with Charlie she felt safe and secure and could allow herself to just enjoy it.

They gently descended and Hermione sighed as she pried herself away from Charlie's embrace. He gave her an odd look but didn't say anything as he gave a loud sharp whistle with his fingers.

They waited only a moment before Lumi flew into view and dropped down in front of them. She nuzzled against Charlie's outstretched hand and then looked to Hermione, waiting for her attention. Hermione readily obliged and ran her hands over the smooth scales of the dragon.

"So... The surprise isn't here. We have to fly somewhere else." Charlie said from the other side of Lumi.

Hermione quirked an eyebrow, "Then why didn't we go straight there?"

"Lumi loves the surprise too, plus I thought it might give you some time to study her a little more." Charlie shrugged as he grabbed his Nimbus and Hermione eagerly mounted it again, excited to be back in his embrace.

Lumi followed after them and it felt so... well, magical to be flying with a dragon. Certainly not _on, _as she had on the Ironbelly, that was just downright terrifying.

They soared over the open field and Charlie quickly cast a Disillusionment charm on them and Lumi as they popped through the barrier of the wards. They flew over a nearby village and into the mountain range and dropped their altitude while gliding between the two peaks of snow-capped mountains.

He brought them to a large clearing at the base of one of the mountains and this time Hermione hopped off, eager to see where he was taking them. Lumi stayed circling in the sky and flew off to the other side of one of the mountains.

"She'll meet us there, she likes to fly these ranges. I've always wondered if it has something to do with where she's from." Charlie explained as he cast a Shrinking charm on his broom and tucked it into his pocket for safekeeping.

Hermione followed him up a winding trail, glad she had put on her sturdy boots. They climbed through a thicket and over massive tree roots, walking for a short while before she could hear the steady beating of running water. The sound grew louder as they walked and she stepped through the tree line to come upon a large picturesque meadow.

There was a gigantic waterfall, flowing down to a channel that pooled into a lake before continuing to wind into a creek through the trees. Wildflowers of every colour spread over the grass so perfectly that it looked like something from a painting.

Hermione held her breath as she took it all in and she saw Charlie watching her from the corner of her eye. "It's beautiful..."

Charlie grinned and stretched out his hand which she took without hesitation. "I'm glad you like it. It's my own secret place, no one else knows about it except for Lumi... and now you."

Hermione gave him a small smile, "Thank you for sharing it with me."

He led them to a large boulder that sat at the bank of the lake and he helped her climb up to sit on its smooth surface. His firm grip on her waist as he hoisted her up sent a fire raging into her core and she tried to will the blush from her face as he climbed up to sit beside her.

The sun was beating down on them but the air had a slight chill to it and Hermione wished this could be the weather in England. It was so bright here and she lifted her face to bask in it.

Charlie rustled around beside her and she looked over to see he had taken off his shirt and laid down with his hands behind his head as a cushion. His eyes were closed and she let herself admire his tanned body for a moment before quickly looking away, another blush staining her cheeks. He was so damnably attractive and she couldn't help but admire him, even now.

Lumi flew above them and dropped down a short way away, circling on the ground for a moment before settling for a nap.

Hermione pulled out her sketchbook and scribbled down some notes and quick sketches of Lumi before a husky voice pulled her from the parchment.

"So..."

Hermione glanced down at Charlie to see him looking at her with a smirk and mischief in his eyes. "How about a swim?"


	8. Confessions

Chapter 8: Confessions

Hermione's mouth instantly dried and she had to blink a few times to let her mind catch up to his words.

"Swim?" She squeaked.

Charlie sat up with a grin, the muscles of his torso flexing slightly. He gestured to the lake and Hermione let her eyes trail down the strong expanse of his arm.

_Stop it, Hermione, you ginger-crazed witch. _She snapped her ogling eyes from his muscles and back to his face as he looked up at the waterfall.

"Well, we could go for a dive from the top of that waterfall..." His grin turned devilish as he looked back at her. "That is, if you're brave enough."

He was trying to goad her, that much was clear. Charlie knew she didn't willingly participate in dangerous activities but she allowed herself to take the bait and carefully slid from the top of the boulder back to the ground.

She looked over her shoulder at him with a smirk. "I most certainly _will not _be jumping from that waterfall... but I'll put my feet in the river."

Charlie let out a soft chuckle and jumped down from the boulder while Hermione took off her boots and rolled up the cuffs of her jeans. She then removed her jumper, leaving her in only her short-sleeved green t-shirt.

"Well, I think_ I'll _be going for a swim," Charlie said as he shucked off his trousers, leaving him in only a pair of tight, dark blue boxers. Hermione's eyes widened and she turned around as heat rose to cover her neck and cheeks.

She heard a splash behind her and a light spray of water coated the side of her face as she turned to where Charlie jumped in. He broke the surface of the water a few seconds later gasping for breath and smiling wide.

Hermione grinned at him and sat at the edge of the lake to dip her feet into the cool water. Charlie floated on the surface with his eyes closed and Hermione could see the red of his hair spread in the water beneath him. He must have lost the thong of leather that usually held it in a bun, either that or he took it out before jumping in. Regardless, Hermione admired how it seemed to have a mind of its own as it curled and twisted in the small current.

Suddenly Charlie righted himself and dove back under the surface, instantly lost to the reflection of the sun against the water. Hermione tried to look for him but couldn't see anything past the black depth. She was sure a minute had passed already and she started to become worried, sitting up more to search.

Hermione was about to grab her wand to cast a Bubble-head charm to go in after him, when a freckled hand broke the surface of the water in front of her. It gripped her ankle and yanked her into the cold lake. She let out a squeal before some primal part of her brain reminded her to hold her breath and she grasped her hand over her nose as she was pulled under the surface.

The grip on her ankle loosened and she came back up for air instantly, shoving her wet curls out of her face and rubbing the water from her eyes. Charlie emerged directly in front of her and looked at her with a wild grin. She gave him her best scathing look and he started to laugh.

"You looked hot, thought you might want to come in and get a little wet."

Hermione pushed the naughty thought that popped into her head away as she pumped her arms and legs to keep her above the surface. "Charlie Weasley! I cannot believe you pulled me into the lake!"

Charlie swam a little bit closer and his knee bumped into her thigh as they bobbed in the water. Suddenly the grin fell from his face and his gaze flickered between her eyes and her lips. Hermione's heart was pounding in her chest as he swam closer still and their chests brushed against each other in the water. The lake was frigid but suddenly Hermione felt like she was swimming in a hot spring.

Charlie's voice came out in a husky whisper as he stared at her lips, "Do you feel it too, Hermione?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat and his sapphire blue eyes met hers in a heated gaze. Her mouth was dry but she still managed to croak out, "Feel what?"

Charlie's arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her in so their bodies melted together. His face was only a few inches from her own and she sucked in a gasp as he leant down. His breath tickled her face in a rush of spearmint as he spoke. "Something is pulling us together. I can't stop thinking about you. I want to be near you all the time..."

He trailed off, his lips hovered just above hers and Hermione glanced up to find his eyes watching her hopefully. She inched her face closer until their lips were only a breath apart when a sudden roar from Lumi had them jolting away from each other.

Lumi was in a defensive stance eyeing the treeline, puffs of smoke escaping her mouth. Charlie swam to the edge of the lake to pull himself out and Hermione quickly followed. He ran over to her, still only in his boxers, dripping wet. He grabbed his wand, holding it at the ready as he stepped into the treeline. He was only gone for a moment before he re-emerged. He said something to Lumi and she took off to the skies.

Hermione wrapped her arms around herself to shield against the chilled air as Charlie jogged back over to her. He looked pale as he grabbed his trousers, quickly yanking them on. He threw her jumper to her as he snatched his shirt that was on the ground next to it, "Poachers. We've got to go."

He slipped his shirt on as Hermione shoved her feet into her boots and slipped her arms into her jumper.

It instantly became soaked but she was at least a little bit warmer, "There are poachers? All the way out here?"

Charlie only nodded grimly as he pulled his broom from his pocket and cast an Engorgement Charm to bring it back to its original size. He mounted and Hermione quickly followed, gripping his arms as he took off at lightning speed. He cast another Disillusionment charm on them once in the sky, though they were going so fast she doubted a Muggle would be able to tell what they were anyways.

He didn't say anything while they flew and Hermione could feel the tension radiating from his body. She began to shiver as the muggle village passed under them in a blur and they quickly popped through the Sanctuaries wards. Hermione felt Charlie relax slightly behind her and she gave his forearms a squeeze for reassurance. His arms tightened around her, pulling her closer to his chest and her stomach flipped as he fit his body around hers. A warmth settled over her mostly from desire but also the safety his arms offered her and it instantly stopped her shivering.

Charlie dipped low once they reached their cabins and when Hermione got off, he stayed mounted.

"I have to go report to Rollands that there are poachers nearby." He reached out a hand and cupped her cheek, gently running his rough thumb against her soft skin. "When I get back... Can we talk?"

His thumb left a trail of fire on her cheek and Hermione weakly nodded, trying to keep her knees from giving out under her. The smile he gave her when she agreed made a feeling that she couldn't name swell in her chest. He dropped his hand back to his broom handle and Hermione stopped herself before she let out a sigh at the loss of contact.

She watched as Charlie sped off back to the Commons and took a few deep breaths to still her racing heart. Once she had calmed, she was able to move her leaden legs to walk to her cabin. The mailbox at her door had its small flag raised and Hermione quickly rushed towards it. She opened the top and grabbed out three letters, one from Effie, one from Harry and one from Luna.

Her heart thumped hard against her chest as she rushed inside and kicked the door closed. She paid no mind to her soaking clothes as she tore open Luna's letter, leaving the others momentarily discarded on the kitchen counter.

_Hello Hermione! _

_It was so lovely to hear from you but your handwriting was so scribbled I worried about deciphering it. Are you quite well? _

_Ron told me you were going to Romania, please watch for Blibbering Humdingers. It's their mating season and they can cause one to see everything upside down if they sneeze on you. Make sure to carry a bouquet of sweetpeas and orange blossoms, they hate sweet scents. _

_To answer your questions, I did feel a connection to Ron when we first met but it did take some time until it intensified. (Ron commented that he wondered if it had anything to do with his school crush on you, that maybe it had repressed his feelings for me. I personally think Wrackspurts were at play, his head was always full of them.) _

_My father told me when you meet your soulmate, it was like feeling close to a fire but once you accept the bond, it would feel as if you're standing directly in the blaze. I have to agree with his depiction. (He and my mother were soulmates, you see.) And no, I had no positive way of knowing until we matched our birthmarks, aside from the attraction we felt. _

_I hope I was able to answer your questions. (Though I do wonder about the need for them. Did you perhaps meet someone in Romania?) _

_Luna _

_P.S. I forgot to mention the bouquet should be kept inside your shirt or jacket pocket so it makes your clothes smell like the flowers. Otherwise, the Blibbering Humdingers will climb into your bed at night to sneeze on your face. _

Hermione blew out a breath as she set the letter down. Her feelings were an odd mixture of disappointment and yearning as she opened Harry's, a quick note that they were happy to take care of Crookshanks and hoped she was having a good time in Romania.

Effie's letter only mentioned for her to get specific measurements of the dragon and a few other minor requests before signing her name on the bottom.

Hermione tossed Effie's letter onto the pile on the counter and sighed as she climbed the ladder to go upstairs. She peeled her clothes off of her as she thought about what Luna had written. She had said she could _feel _the connection with Ron. Did it feel like what she had with Charlie? And good Godric, she wouldn't even _know _for certain until she matched the birthmarks?

Hermione quickly changed into a pair of warm leggings and a thick fuzzy sweater to combat the cold that had seeped into her bones. She was just putting on another pair of Molly's knitted socks when a knock sounded at her door. Her heart sped up as she raced down the ladder, her mind racing with only one thought.

_Charlie. _

She padded to the door and pulled it open. He stood there, his hair whipping wildly in the cool breeze and his clothes still slightly damp. He was wringing his hands together and staring at the ground but flicked his molten gaze to hers when she opened the door. Hermione held her breath as Charlie strode past her, bringing in the scent of cut grass with him.

She blinked as she thought back to the Amortentia potion from sixth year. A bloody love potion had told her what her soulmate would smell like! Only a moment passed before she resolved herself - she would tell him, she had to.

His presence instantly filled the room and Hermione gently shut the door behind her, pressing her back against the rough wood. He spun towards her, his eyes wild and stuttered out his confession at the same moment she stuttered out hers.

"I like you-"

"-We're soulmates!

Charlie stumbled back a step as if her words had punched him in the chest. "What did you say?"

Hermione pressed her back further into the wood, her spine aching against the doorknob. Her voice came out in a strained whisper as she forced herself to say it again, "We're soulmates..."

Charlie furrowed his brow and his hands fell limply at his side, "What...? I don't understand."

She had finally told him they were soulmates, and now her words came out in a rush as she explained. She told him of her growing need to be around him - at this, he took a step towards her.

She told him how she thought him to be the most handsome man she had ever seen - another step closer.

She told him how when they flew together, she felt the safest she ever had, even though she was doing something she was terrified of - this step brought him only an arm's length away.

Finally, when she whispered out how she had accidentally seen him naked through the window and his birthmark matched hers, he closed the distance between them.

Charlie placed his hands on either side of her head, trapping her against the door. His face was only a breath away from hers as Hermione looked up at him. Her blood pounded in her ears as he gave her a small smile.

"You're my soulmate..." His breath tickled her face as she glanced to his lips. Her hands shook as she reached up, in a bout of confidence, to place them on either side of Charlie's face. She pulled him closer until their bodies pressed together and drew his head down to her.

His eyes became dark in a swirl of lust as their faces neared. His lips were hot as they landed firmly against hers and she let out a small sigh of ecstasy. This ignited something in Charlie; immediately he deepened the kiss, drinking her in. His hands dropped from the door, one twisted into her damp curls and the other settled against the side of her neck.

His fingers trailed lightly against Hermione's skin, sending jolts of electricity down her spine. He pulled her closer as their lips moved together in a heated exchange.

A ball of fire settled in the pit of her stomach as Charlie moved the hand that was tangled in her hair to trail down her spine and Hermione momentarily damned the thick sweater she was wearing. Charlie ran his tongue along hers when their lips parted for another kiss and Hermione let out a throaty groan as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She wanted him closer, _needed _him closer and he seemed to be thinking the same as he backed them up until they fell together on the couch.

They momentarily broke from their kiss as they got themselves situated, Hermione settling across his lap as he sat down with his head leaning on the back of the couch. From this position, she could feel his desire for her pressed into her core, causing a blush to creep its way onto her cheeks.

Merlin, she had never done this before but everything felt so..._ right. _

Charlie was panting hard but he trailed his hands up to grip her legs and gave them a gentle squeeze as they stared into each other's lust-filled eyes. He traced up further over the swell of her hips, up the dip of her waist, brushing gently on the sides of her breasts before settling into her curls and pulling her back down to his lips. She barely noticed his still-damp clothes making her own wet as she pressed into him.

Charlie let out a guttural moan when Hermione ground against the bulge in his pants before he broke the kiss, keeping his hands tangled in her hair to hold her face close.

"Hermione... I-I've never..." He trailed off but Hermione knew what he meant and she gave him a reassuring smile.

"It's okay... I never have either." She read a few books about it, of course, not that she'd admit that to him.

Charlie looked at her quizzically, "But you and Ron..."

Hermione wrinkled her nose as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "I saw Ron naked _once _but we never had sex." A small flash of relief passed over Charlie's eyes and Hermione pressed her lips together to stop herself from laughing. "Now please, I'd like to _not _be thinking of your brother right now..."

Charlie gave her a grin before pulling her face back down to his and he pressed his lips to hers hungrily. Hermione instantly opened her mouth to grant his tongue access, this time flicking out her own to meet his.

Hermione always thought herself an excellent kisser but good Godric, Charlie was _phenomenal. _

He dropped his hands to run up and down her thighs and it created an inferno between her legs. Charlie ran his hands up higher to cup her buttocks and gave it a gentle squeeze, causing her to let out a small squeak of surprise.

He let out a chuckle against her lips but sucked in a breath as Hermione ground against him in retaliation. This time Hermione was the one to break the kiss and she tried to steady her panting.

Hermione flicked her tongue out to run it over her swollen lips and his eyes dropped to follow the path her tongue took. Charlie ran his hands up to her hips and gripped them tightly as he pressed his hard length against her.

She took a deep breath as she built up her resolve. Merlin, she wanted him so badly and her voice came out in a strained whisper as her fingers played with the ends of his soft hair.

"Do you... do you want to come upstairs?"

Charlie's eyes closed momentarily as he took a deep breath and when he opened them, he held her gaze with so much emotion it startled her. She expected his voice to come out tense like hers but instead, it came out confident and firm. He sounded as if it was the easiest question he had ever answered.

"Yes."


	9. Fire

Chapter 9:Fire

Hermione and Charlie stood in front of her bed wrapped in each other's embrace. Hermione had expected awkwardness but surprisingly there was none. Everything felt so natural, like they were two halves of a whole, finally fitting back into place.

Hermione was on her tip-toes as Charlie pressed feather-light kisses to her neck and she sighed in bliss. Her hands were rubbing gentle circles across his lower back under his shirt when he suddenly pulled back to look down at her. She settled onto her heels to look at him from under her lashes, trying not to pout at the loss of contact, but failing miserably.

Charlie chuckled as he stepped from her embrace and pulled off his shirt, throwing it to the floor. Hermione's pout instantly vanished as she drank in the sight of him. She had seen Charlie shirtless numerous times, she had even seen it only a few hours ago, but now that she could touch him, it sent a wave of heat to her core.

She reached out a hand and placed it against his hot skin, running her fingers lightly up his muscled stomach and over his chest. His freckled skin broke out in goosebumps as she trailed her hand over a few scars marring his perfect body to grip his hip. The large bulge pressing against his leather trousers made her mouth dry instantly.

Not that she had much to compare it to but _Merlin_, he was big.

Her eyes fluttered up to his to find him watching her hungrily and when she bit her lip, Charlie cupped her face and used his thumb to pull it from between her teeth. He leant down to replace his thumb with his lips and Hermione stood on her tip-toes again to deepen it. He traced his fingers along the hem of her sweater and she eagerly lifted her arms so he could pull it off of her.

Hermione let out a chuckle as his gaze turned carnal when he discovered her scarlet bra. It had been an impulse buy, and she was suddenly glad she had purchased it as Charlie trailed a light touch over the lace. She sucked in a breath when he palmed her breast over the fabric and looked up to find his face nearly as red as her bra.

She gave him a gentle smile of encouragement as she pulled his lips down to hers again. Feeling overly confident, she moved her hands from his hips to undo the button of his trousers and deepened the kiss as she slid the fabric over his hips to fall to his ankles.

Hermione was trembling, not from nervousness or excitement - even though she was bloody excited - but from the emotion that poured out of Charlie as he pressed his lips harder to hers. He captured her lower lip between his teeth and bit down gently, eliciting a soft moan from the back of her throat. His large calloused hands slid down her torso to her hips and guided her backwards until her knees hit the edge of her bed, causing her to tumble back on to it.

Their kiss broke and Hermione opened her eyes to see Charlie towering above her, his erection pressing firmly against the seam of his blue boxers. He stood between her legs and he bent down to take off his boots and socks and slip his trousers from off his ankles. Hermione sat up on her elbows as he stood back up and gazed down to ravish her with his eyes.

Charlie reached out to run his hands down her stomach and hooked his fingers in the top of her leggings. Heat pooled in her core as he pulled the soft fabric down her legs and he broke eye contact to look down at the matching panties.

"You're so beautiful, Hermione..." he said as he ran his eyes back up her body and she sucked in a breath when his fiery gaze landed on her face.

Charlie settled himself over top of Hermione between her legs, pressing his length against her core, as his mouth brushed against hers in a blazing kiss that curled her toes. He ground against her and she let out a small whimper against his lips. He palmed her still bra clad breast and traced his fingers up the strap to pull it down her shoulder. He pulled the cup down, allowing her breast to pop free and Hermione let out a moan as his rough hands squeezed her soft flesh.

She arched her back and reached behind her to unclip her bra, desperately wanting Charlie to touch all of her. Breaking the kiss to pull her bra off and toss it to the floor, she watched as his gaze turned feral. He sat back on his legs as he slid both hands over her breasts and Hermione suddenly felt self-conscious as he watched her reaction. She swore his bulge twitched when she moaned as he pinched a nipple. A blush crept up her neck as she let out a throaty moan again a moment later as his mouth replaced his hand over the pebbled peak.

Charlie sucked and nibbled lightly on her breasts, trailing his mouth from one to the other. Hermione became a puddle underneath him as he explored her body and she bucked her hips up to grind against him, earning moans from both their mouths.

"Charlie... Please..." The words tumbled out of her mouth along with another moan as he kissed his way back up to her lips, momentarily stopping to give her neck some attention.

He paused to hover over her lips, his eyes half-lidded with lust and longing. "Hermione, are you sure? It's _both _of our first-times and I don't want to disappoint you..."

Adoration for the red-haired Dragon Keeper swelled in Hermione's chest at his words and she ran her hands from their place on his shoulders to cup his face. She pressed her lips firmly against his and poured everything she was feeling into the kiss. He must have felt it too, because in a quick movement they were both devoid of their underthings.

Charlie trailed his hand down her body and across her thighs before settling his thumb against the bundle of nerves at her centre. He rubbed it gently in experimentation and Hermione broke their kiss to let out a startled moan at the sensation. She masturbated frequently but to have someone else touch her... to have _Charlie _touch her - Merlin, it felt bloody _wonderful. _

He slid a finger down her soaking wet folds and pressed it inside gently while his other hand smoothed curls back from her face. Charlie pressed hot kisses up and down her neck as he started a steady rhythm of pumping his finger in and out of her. He added a second one after a few more pumps, stretching her deliciously in ways she never thought possible. Hermione's moans filled the cabin and she glanced down to watch his glistening fingers in fascination.

Her eyes caught sight of what had been hidden in his boxers. He wasn't just long but also thick and she swallowed a nervous lump in her throat. How would _that _fit inside her?!

She snapped her eyes shut as his thumb pressed against her clit and she craned her neck back and let out an uncontrolled moan as a tremor ran down her body.

Charlie pressed a hot kiss to her lips and she drank him in, desperate for more contact. Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him harder against her lips. She could feel herself rising higher and higher to her peak and he flicked his thumb a few times over the bundle of nerves. She broke the kiss a few moments later and arched her back as she came undone against his hand.

Charlie slowed his fingers as Hermione came down from her high. He pressed feather-light kisses on her cheeks and neck while she caught her breath. He pulled his fingers out of her and she let out a small whimper at the empty feeling it left behind.

Charlie let out a light chuckle at her reaction and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips before pulling back to look down at her.

"You are so perfect, Hermione."

She gave him a radiant smile and reached up to pull him back down until their lips met again, instantly deepening the kiss to tell him she wanted more. _Needed _more.

He settled his length at her hot entrance and moaned as he rubbed against it to coat himself in her wetness. He pressed gently and Hermione broke the kiss to let out a guttural groan as he stretched her. He filled her to the brim and when she thought he was fully in, he pushed in just a little more. The pain of her first time was minimal and dissipated completely as Charlie pulled out and pushed back in a few times.

Their bodies fit together perfectly as he picked up the pace and soon she was moaning, completely unhinged beneath him. She felt like she was drowning in fire, her entire body erupted in goosebumps while they moved in perfect rhythm together. She could feel herself climbing again and when Charlie reached out to pinch a nipple between his fingers she came apart, moaning his name over and over in pure bliss. His own release came soon after and he pulsed inside her, letting out a grunt against her neck.

They laid together, tangled, while they caught their breath and Charlie peppered soft kisses on Hermione's neck and cheek. He propped himself up on elbows to press a sweet kiss to her lips and she let out a contented sigh as she ran her fingers lightly across his back. He pulled out of her gently and laid down at her side, curling his body to fit around hers.

Charlie gave her a lop-sided grin and pushed her wild curls away from her face. "I must have a natural talent."

Hermione turned to him with a glint in her eye and smirked teasingly, "I don't know... I could've kept going. It felt so good but I guess you couldn't keep up."

Charlie was instantly hard against her thigh and Hermione looked down incredulously at his length before he pressed her back into the mattress for a second round.

* * *

Hermione stood in the kitchen with Charlie a short while later as he made them a midnight snack. They had laid entangled in each other's limbs after their second romp and Hermione's stomach growled so loud it caused them both to dissolve in fits of laughter. Hermione blushed as she remembered how, when she stood in all her glory to dress, Charlie had seen her birthmark and had pulled her back to press a passionate kiss over it. It had nearly led to a third shag until her stomach growled again and he reluctantly let her go so she could dress.

He had explained, once they were finally able to pull apart from each other, that part of the old magic of the soulmate bond was an inherent need to further the bloodline. The reason why they wanted to make love incessantly was to make sure she was pregnant. She had blanched slightly at the idea but Charlie quickly explained it was only like this at first and eventually, they'd be able to control themselves a little better.

"Well, you might be able to control yourself better." He said with a wink as he piled a serving of eggs and toast on two plates. "I'm quite positive I'll never be able to keep my hands to myself."

He made his point by squeezing her bum as they moved into the living room to sit together on the sofa and eat. She let out a yelp and nearly dropped her food. The laugh he let out at her reaction swelled her heart, even though she swatted his arm with a half-hearted glare. It was an odd feeling, Hermione mused as she finished her dinner, that she barely knew Charlie and yet felt like no one else would ever be so right for her.

She set her empty plate down and turned to face him as he settled an arm around her shoulders. "Charlie?"

Charlie made a small noise in his throat as he closed his eyes against the warmth of the fire to indicate he was listening.

"What's your favourite colour?"

Charlie cracked an eye open to glance at her and smirked, "My favourite colour? Blue, I suppose. Why?"

Hermione curled her legs underneath her as she fit herself more comfortably against him. She tucked against his side, staring into the flames and sighed when he stroked gentle fingers over her back. "I just realized I don't know much about you, aside from your birthday and that you work with dragons."

"Hmm..." Charlie pulled her wild curls over her shoulder and trailed hot fingers over her neck. "I'd have to agree with you. So, what's _your _favourite colour then?"

"Violet. What was your favourite subject in school?"

Charlie let out a small chuckle, "Does Quidditch count?"

Hermione gave him a small slap on his still-bare chest, "No it does not,_ Charles. _"

He let out an even louder laugh at this, "Alright, alright no need to bring full names into this. As predictable as it sounds, Care of Magical Creatures. You?"

"Care of Magical Creatures was an amazing class, though I suppose I'd say that about all of them." Hermione smiled a bit as she reminisced on her time at Hogwarts. "I think Arithmancy would be mine."

Charlie snorted, "All those complicated numbers and predicting the future? Divination seems easier."

Hermione scoffed, "Easier? Divination is a load of rubbish! Arithmancy requires precision and intellect while Divination is easily the stupidest-" Her head swivelled at the insistence of Charlie's soft grip in her chin and a swift kiss instantly quieted her.

He pulled away with a grin, "We don't like Divination, understood."

Hermione swatted away his hand that held her chin, even if the kiss had fire blooming in her chest. A light blush dusted her cheeks as she settled back down against his chest and he resumed his ministrations on her neck.

His deep voice rumbled from his chest as he asked the next question, "What's your favourite food?"

They continued on like this for the better part of two hours, asking questions back and forth - and kissing in between - until Hermione was dizzy from all the new information. She could tell Charlie was starting to nod off as his answers became one worded and his voice thick with exhaustion. She was able to rouse him from the couch to climb the ladder upstairs and helped him undress.

This time, when he gave her a soft kiss as they lay in bed, Hermione was the one to press him back into it.


	10. Bond

Chapter 10: Bond

Hermione tried not to think about it being Sunday as they soared over the open field. She tried, she really did but, even when they made love in the shower that morning, the gloom still hung heavily around her.

What would happen once she went back? Would he come live with her in England? She wished she could just stay with him here in Romania. She had come to love the beauty and simplicity of the Sanctuary, the Dragons that filled her with wonder and awe but especially the people.

Unfortunately, only employees and trainees could live here and at twenty-two, Hermione was over the age restriction to sign up for the Keeper classes. Her only hope was the Research Department, which is where she would have wanted to work anyways. They don't require the Keeper training but, sadly, there were no positions currently open.

They descended to Lumi's barn and Hermione reluctantly pulled away from Charlie's embrace. It was funny to think how much she had come to love their flying when only a week ago she would have cringed at the idea of sitting on a broom.

Charlie gave her a kiss on the top of her head as he passed by her to open the door and greet Lumi. Hermione frowned at his retreating back as the sad reality of her last day clawed at her. She shook the thought and steeled herself, she wouldn't waste the time she had left moping.

Hermione hurried after Charlie and walked over to Lumi, stopping when the Dragon nearly toppled her over to nuzzle at her chest. Hermione quizzically looked to Charlie at Lumi's sudden overt affection and Charlie shrugged with a grin.

"Maybe she can sense the bond?"

Hermione looked down at the dragon as her large head nuzzled into her like a cat and she reached a hand out to calm her.

"Alright, Lumi, alright relax," she said with a laugh. Lumi straightened out and curls of smoke escaped her mouth as she let out a rumbling purr. Hermione was astounded, she had never seen a dragon act like this before. She quickly pulled out her sketchbook and jotted down some notes- _Highly affectionate, can possibly suspect soulmate bond? _Hermione chewed on her bottom lip, would Effie ask her how she came to know this? A light blush bloomed on her cheeks at the idea of having to explain that to her boss.

"What are you blushing at?" Charlie walked towards her and ran a hand down her cheek, causing the blush to intensify and blood to pound in her ears.

Hermione shook her head and stepped out of his reach to quiet her heart, "N-Nothing," she cleared her throat. "Nothing. Effie requested some additional information, so I'd like to document my findings before you let Lumi out for the day."

She quickly set about taking the measurements her boss requested, as well as locating a sample of her scales from the ground that she had shed the night before. Once she was finished, Charlie opened the door to let Lumi swoop out and turned back to Hermione with a mischievous glint in his eye.

"Now, I have an idea of what we're going to do today but before that..." He grabbed her arm and pulled her to him to press a hot kiss to her lips.

Hermione let out a small squeak of surprise but she melted into his body nonetheless. He cupped her face as she wrapped her arms around his waist to deepen the kiss. A shiver ran down Hermione's spine as Charlie's tongue explored her mouth and she let out a sigh when a hand went to the small of her back to press her closer against him.

_"Ahem." _

Hermione and Charlie broke their kiss and jumped apart from each other as they turned to the sound of someone clearing their throat.

Felix stood at the large barn door opening, wearing a face splitting grin as he took in their blushing faces. "Well, well, well. What do we have here?"

Charlie grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her to his side, wrapping an arm around her waist. The heat on her face increased slightly at Charlie's display of possessive affection. They hadn't even spoken about their relationship yet and he was claiming her in front of his friend and she... liked it. She felt like she should be angry at his assumption, or at the very least at the way he claimed her like an animal. Instead, she found herself turned on. _Very _turned on

Felix crossed his arms as his grin settled into a smirk and walked closer to them, "Hermione, I hope you're prepared to be the _other _woman in Charlie's life, I'm afraid Lumi may be his leading lady." He gave her a wink to show he was joking.

Hermione was about to reply when Charlie suddenly yanked her behind him and shoved Felix back hard when he came up beside her. Unprepared, he stumbled back but was, fortunately, able to catch himself before he fell. He straightened and looked up with wide, incredulous eyes, shaking the shocked expression from his face.

"What the bloody hell, mate! What was that for?" Felix rubbed the spot where Charlie shoved him roughly.

Charlie raised his hands in defence and surrender as Hermione stepped back around him with a pinched expression.

"I'm sorry! I don't-I don't know what that was about." Charlie looked at his hands bewildered before looking to Hermione and over to Felix. "You were just getting too close to Hermione and I didn't even think, I just..."

Hermione could sense the confusion he was feeling and she reached out to grab his hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze. Felix looked between them for a moment before surprise dawned on his face.

"Merlin's balls! You're soulmates!" He rushed forward to swing an arm around both of their shoulders but Charlie once again shoved him and this time, Felix did fall to the ground.

Charlie rushed forward as soon as he did to help him up, repeating apologies over and over.

Hermione crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Felix as he stood, "How do you know we're soulmates?"

"It's written plainly on your faces! And the fact Charlie is being subconsciously over-protective." He rubbed the sore spot on his shoulder where Charlie had shoved him twice now. "It's pretty obvious."

"I'm sorry, Felix. I can't control it." Charlie's face looked crestfallen and Hermione gave him a reassuring smile. She knew he wouldn't hurt a fly.

Felix waved a hand dismissively, "It's fine. Part of the bond I suspect." He looked between them amusedly before settling his gaze at Charlie, "Now, what's this I hear about poachers?"

An hour later Felix finally left them, he had been assigned to track down the poachers Charlie had seen yesterday and get them to the Romanian Ministry with a few of their Aurors. Charlie had told him where the poachers had been, thankfully leaving out their swim and almost kiss.

Hermione let out a sigh as Charlie came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist to embrace her. He pressed a light kiss to the back of her neck that sent a spark down her spine.

"So," she said, once she had found her voice. "What are we doing today?"

Charlie gripped her shoulders and twirled her around. The grin that was stretching across his face had her stomach plummeting. Seeing a Weasley smile like that could only mean trouble.

"We are going to work on your flying."

"Charlie!" Hermione called out a short while later as they stood in the green field near Lumi's barn.

Charlie was doing aerial manoeuvres in the sky to show Hermione what she should do. Currently, he was showing her how to do a full 360-degree rotation while flying straight - it made her stomach queasy just to watch.

He flew down to her where she waited with her feet planted firmly on the ground, thank you very much. He had removed his shirt at some point and beads of sweat glistened on his chest as he neared her. Had he not been trying to convince her to do something she was absolutely terrified of, she might have toppled him from the broom to lick his body clean.

She shook her head to rid the perverted thoughts from her mind. One day with this man and she was already a sex-crazed lunatic.

"What?" he asked as he pulled his broom next to her.

"I hope you realize I can barely ascend properly. There is no way I'm going to be able to do... what was it called again?"

"An Aileron roll! It's one of the first things we're taught on the Quidditch team, it's relatively easy, just have to lean enough into it-"

"Charlie," Hermione interrupted. "I'm not doing that."

Charlie pouted at her words, "C'mon, 'Mione." His pout increased further as she vigorously shook her head no. "Fine but will you at least try to fly with me? You did so well yesterday!"

She was going to refuse again but his big blue eyes looked at her pleadingly and she felt her resolve crack. Honestly, she was supposed to be level-headed but Charlie was turning her into a sap.

"Fine."

The joy that overtook his face was worth it, she decided, watching as he accio'd another broom. That thought, however, dissolved from her mind as a CleanSweep floated in front of her. How had she done it yesterday? In a fit of anger towards Charlie, that's how. Now that she had a clear head, it took everything in her to mount it.

Her voice warbled a little as she looked up to Charlie, who was hovering on his broom a few feet above her. "H-How do I do this again?"

He gave her a reassuring smile and brought his broom alongside hers. "Feet firmly planted on the ground, that's it. Hold on steady to the handle and kick off hard. Yes, well done!"

Hermione had jumped as hard as she could towards the open air and was sent barreling towards the sky. She heard Charlie yell some instructions at her and she tried to follow them. Grip the handle and pull to the side, okay. She banked wide and her broom came to a creeping halt in the air. Her palms were sweating against the wood and her heart pounded in her ears.

Charlie flew up next to her as if he'd been born on a broom - Hermione tried not to be envious. "Well done, love! That was a fantastic bank."

Hermione's heart swelled at the endearment and she allowed herself to ease back a bit more comfortably. Her hands were still shaking but she felt a little safer with Charlie beside her.

"Now," he said looking to her with a grin. "Let's do that again."

* * *

Hermione stumbled into Charlie's cabin completely exhausted. They had practised flying until sunset and Lumi had returned to her barn. Hermione had said a final goodbye to the dragon who, much to Hermione's surprise, actually looked sad at her departure. Then she had, as skillfully as she could, flown herself back to the cabins.

She was actually quite surprised how good of a teacher Charlie was. She could now ascend quite easily and stay mounted without an issue. Flying around in the sky without her stomach dropping had taken longer but, eventually, she was able to do that as well. The only difficulty was smoothly getting back to the ground. She could now understand why Harpis almost always came to a crash landing.

Charlie laughed at her as she flopped onto his couch. His cabin was much bigger than hers, with actual stairs instead of a ladder and a hallway with multiple rooms. The kitchen was quite large and he even had a dining room. The only part that was similar to hers was the raging stone fireplace that warmed her bones.

"Tired, love?" Charlie asked as he sat beside her and effortlessly pulled her onto his lap.

Hermione hummed and nodded her head as his hands kneaded knots from her back. She pressed her cheek to his shoulder and sighed, "Actually, Charlie we should talk."

His hands paused for a moment before continuing their ministrations. "What about?"

Hermione forced herself to push away from his shoulder to look into his bright blue eyes. "Us. Work. You know... you know I leave tomorrow right?"

Charlie grimaced but nodded and stopped rubbing her back to pull her closer. "Yes, I do... I don't want you to but I know you have to."

"I wish I could stay but you know the rules. I'd have to have a job here and I'm too old to start Keeper training and there are no open positions in the Research department." Hermione gave him a sad smile as he sighed and leant his head back over the couch.

"I know, but we'll make it work right? You can come anytime you want, I'll have a Floo network set up in my cabin or you can come by Portkey. And you know I'll come to you as much as I can." Charlie looked at her hopefully and she laughed.

"I meant 'us' as in how to tell our friends and family about our relationship, but I'm glad to know I have so many travel options," Hermione smirked as Charlie blushed slightly.

"Oh. Well, I was planning on taking a few days off next month to come see you and maybe we could tell everyone then? Have dinner at the Burrow? You can tell Harry and Ron and your parents right away if you want but I'd like to be there to watch the Twins eat their own words and pay up."

He grinned at Hermione's confused face. "George and Fred bet Ginny I'd never marry, 'Too in love with his Dragons.' They bet 50 galleons each against Ginny. She always was my favourite."

Hermione smiled but sobered immediately and looked down to the floor, "Actually... that's something I'd like to talk about too. Marriage, dating... What's expected?"

"Hermione."

The unexpected firmness of Charlie's voice had her looking back into his eyes instantly.

"While I wouldn't mind marrying you this minute, if I could, I've never been in a relationship before." He smiled at her surprised face, "I know, I know. I'll be thirty this year but I was resolved to die a bachelor. You've quite changed that about me. That being said, I want to experience dating you first - just for a little while."

Charlie lifted her chin with his finger, "However, the minute you tell me you're ready to get married, I'm yours." He placed a tender kiss against her lips before pulling back with a smile.

Hermione grinned, "So I get to decide how we travel to each other, when to tell people about us, _and _when we get married? I must have you completely wrapped around my finger."

Charlie's smile turned into a devilish smirk as he flipped their bodies to pin her underneath him. He trailed feather-light kisses down her neck, stopping momentarily to pull her shirt off and continued his path down her body. His lips were leaving hell-fire in their path as he pulled her trousers and panties off. She was utterly confused at what he was doing, but she certainly wasn't going to stop him.

Charlie moved further down until he settled himself between her legs, placing gentle kisses on the insides of her thighs. Hermione's eyes rolled into the back of her head as he gently kissed the bundle of nerves at her centre and she moaned loudly. He made quick work of devouring her and she enjoyed every minute that his attentive mouth worshipped her. She came crashing down from her high against his tongue, moaning his name over and over again.

Charlie looked up at her from his spot, his mouth and chin slightly glistening as he flashed a smug grin, "What was it you said about having me wrapped around your finger?"

Hermione growled a swear and pulled him back up to her, to show him exactly what she meant.


	11. Goodbye

Chapter 11: Goodbye

Hermione woke the next morning and roused Charlie slowly and sweetly, making sure to take her time before they would be forced to get out of bed. An hour later, they showered together and Hermione relished every tender touch as he washed her. When they went back to the bedroom to dress, he spread her out on the bed and devoured her just as he had last night.

Once they were finally dressed and had eaten breakfast, Hermione only had ten minutes until the portkey left. Charlie flew them quickly to the hill where she had arrived and she spotted multiple people waiting to say goodbye. Orval gave her a firm handshake, Luella and Harpis a brief hug, and Charity pulled her into a sobbing embrace.

"I'm going to miss you, Hermione! Can I write to you?"

Hermione tried not to laugh, Charity was such a sweet girl and she could easily see them becoming fast friends.

"Of course!" That seemed to cheer the blonde as her blubbering stopped.

Charlie had to turn away as Felix gave her a short hug so he wouldn't push him again and once they had all said their brief goodbyes, they flew off to give her and Charlie privacy.

With only minutes before she had to leave, Charlie pulled her into a passionate kiss that left her feeling weak in the knees.

"Owl me when you're home." Another chaste kiss as the portkey popped into view. "I'll miss you."

Hermione gave him a sad smile and another kiss before reaching for the small silver ball. "I'll miss you too." And then she was spiralling back to England.

* * *

Hours later, Hermione sighed as she sat at her desk and finished scribbling her report on Lumi. She and Charlie had finally decided on a name for her and it was elegantly written at the top: _Finnish Blackscale_. Hermione signed her name at the bottom and walked to Effie's office to hand in the report.

She knocked on the closed door and waited only a moment before it opened. Effie sat behind her desk wearing a ghastly orange blouse that hurt Hermione's eyes to look at. "Hermione, dear! Done already?"

Hermione gave her boss a warm smile as she walked in and took a seat across from her. She handed Effie the report and sat with bated breath as she rifled through the pages. She still felt like a student when she handed in reports and some subconscious part of her waited for a grade.

"Well done, Hermione. Excellent and these drawings you provided are top-notch." She set the papers down on her desk and Hermione forced herself to stop from asking questions. "Now, I'll have to thoroughly read through this later but until then, I believe you can continue your assignment on the increase in Pixie population."

With that, Hermione was dismissed and found herself sitting at her desk again feeling... odd. She loved her job, but why did she feel so suddenly unfulfilled? A knock at her door pulled her from her thoughts and she looked up to see Harry standing in the doorway.

"Harry!" She rushed towards him and pulled him into a tight hug.

Harry laughed and pulled her back to arm's length, "Hey, Hermione. How have you been? How was Romania?"

"Oh, Harry it was so amazing! I have so much to tell you..." She trailed off unsure of how to broach the subject. Harry seemed to understand her hesitation and quickly changed the subject, inviting her over for dinner that evening with Ron and Luna. She was grateful, because now she had the afternoon to think of how to tell them.

Once work was over, she rushed down to the Ministry Floos and stepped into the green flames to Harry's house. She stepped out of the fireplace and dusted herself off before she was pulled into the arms of Ginny.

"'Mione! We've missed you, how was Romania?"

"It was great! Where are the boys?"

Ginny gestured over her shoulder at the kitchen, "Ron's moaning about how he's going to starve to death and Harry's cooking." She turned and Hermione followed her through the kitchen door.

"I don't understand, Harry. Magic makes cooking _so _much faster. _Why _do you insist on doing it the muggle way?" Ron whined as he hovered next to Harry, who was trying to cook around the red-head.

Hermione laughed lightly as Harry mumbled out, "Damn wizards," and both men whirled around to greet her.

"Hey, Min!" Ron said, pulling her into a quick hug.

Hermione looked around, "Where's Luna?"

"She stayed home, said she was too tired. I'm supposed to ask about Romania though for her, how was it?"

Hermione chewed her bottom lip as she thought, she didn't expect to have to tell them so quickly but better now before her resolve cracked. "Well..."

She told them all about Lumi and how beautiful Romania was and now that she was nearing the part where she was going to tell them about Charlie her heart started to race. "And Charlie-"

"Yeah, how is Charlie? Still living the bachelor life, lucky bastard." Ron said as he shovelled a helping of pasta into his mouth. Ginny elbowed him in annoyance as Hermione shot a glare.

"Actually, Charlie and I-"

"Charlie and I? Merlin, please don't tell me you guys did anything." Ron interrupted again.

Hermione sighed frustratedly, "Ronald, I swear on my wand I _will _hex your mouth closed if you keep interrupting me."

Ron gave her an apologetic look as Hermione sighed again. Ginny and Harry were looking at her with interest and she started to squirm in her seat. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she worked up the courage to tell them.

"Charlie is my soulmate."

Ginny gasped and Hermione heard a fork clatter against a plate. She opened her eyes to see Ginny staring at her with her hand clapped over her mouth. Harry looked bewildered but Ron's face was screwed up into a face of disgust.

"Hermione, are you sure?" Ginny asked as she took her hand away from her mouth.

Hermione could feel her face heating and opened her mouth to reply but Ron interrupted her again.

"'Mione, you've gotta be kidding me."

Hermione whirled in her seat to face him and quirked an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

She saw Harry flinch at her tone from the corner of her eye but Ron didn't even notice he was on thin ice as he kept talking. "There's no way he's your soulmate. He's seven years older than you! How do you even know?"

Hermione pursed her lips and crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes, "How did you find out Luna was your soulmate?"

Ron's face turned beet red, "W-well I... That doesn't-"

"Unless you want to hear all the dirty details, I'd shut up." Ginny grinned at her older brother before wagging her eyebrows at Hermione. "I, on the other hand, would _love_ to hear everything you sly vixen. You were only there for four days!"

Hermione's face now matched Ron's and Harry shook his head at his wife. "Relax, Ginny. I think Ron's going to lose his dinner."

Ginny waved a hand dismissively at her husband, "I don't want to hear about _that_. Charlie's my brother too! I just want to know how exactly this came about!" She turned back to Hermione. "And anyway what are you going to do? Are you guys together now?"

Hermione fiddled with her food, "Yes, we are together but for right now we're just going to work and see each other as often as possible. He said he'd set up a Floo connection in his cabin or maybe if I practice more I could fly to him-"

"WAIT, WHAT!" Ginny exclaimed, leaning forward in surprise. "Fly?! Like, riding a broomstick through thin air flying?"

"O-oh, well... Charlie taught me how to ride a broom while I was there..." Hermione mumbled as she glanced at the surprised faces of her friends.

"That's it, spill _everything_ right now." Ginny sat back and crossed her arms, waiting for Hermione to speak.

Hermione sighed for the thousandth time that evening and told her friends all about her and Charlie - obviously leaving out the juicer bits.

"Merlin, Hermione! We are going straight to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get you a broom! The Firebolt Three just came out last month, it's a little pricey but I hear it's got all the best charms..." Harry continued on naming brooms and their benefits.

Hermione sat back with a smile at her friends as they all spoke about getting her in the air. Aside from Ron's small outburst, they had all just accepted her and Charlie together. Harry and Ron had even started talking about how impressed they were with Charlie and her heart swelled at their approval.

Hermione went to bed that night with her heart full and for once, excited to be going to Quality Quidditch Supplies to get her first broom.

* * *

Hermione tossed her quill onto the desk and leant back in her chair, rubbing a sore spot on her shoulder. It had been a week since she got her broom and Harry, Ron, and Ginny forced her to join them in doing drills after work. She had to admit, even though she was sore every night, she had a lot of fun flying and she was even getting quite good. Not nearly as skilled as her friends, who have been flying since they were eleven but she could at least see herself being able to fly to Romania.

Her mind turned to Charlie at the thought of Romania. They hadn't seen each other since she left but they wrote every day. Merlin, how she missed him. She missed his beautiful body and handsome face, but most of all she missed his laughter and the way his presence made her feel safe.

Hermione stretched her back out and picked up her quill to resume her report on Pixie population increase. Her work-life had returned to the usual mundane and, as much as she enjoyed her research and helping the various magical creatures of the wizarding world, she was _bored._ Romania had spoiled her and she wished she was back there with her Dragon Keeper and Lumi.

A knock sounded at her door and she flicked her wand to open it, setting her quill back down. Aiden walked in, his greasy hair slicked back from his face. He gave her a smirk that turned her stomach as he set a file on her desk.

"Got another one for you, Granger. Make sure you file this one right away."

Hermione crossed her arms and gestured to the papers in front of her, "I'm working on this right now, I'll get to them when I'm done."

Aiden circled her desk and leant on it next to her. Hermione scooted away as the overwhelming scent of mothballs and musk filled her nose. She narrowed her eyes at the invasion of her space as he spoke.

"C'mon Hermione. My file is more important than whatever you're working on." He ran a finger down her arm that made her shiver from revulsion and she hastily stood from her chair.

"I said I will get to your file when I'm done, Reynards. Now please leave."

Her heart hammered in her chest at the twisted grin that split his face as he stood from the desk. Aiden wasn't an exceptionally tall man but since Hermione was relatively short, he towered over her as he neared.

Hermione swore as she realized she had left her wand on her desk when she had opened the door. Aiden inched forward and she backed up a few paces to keep her distance.

She willed her voice to remain even as she spoke. "Reynards, get out."

"Now, now Hermione. There's no need to act coy. I've seen the way you look at me, I know you just like to play hard to get." His grin widened as he stepped nearer again and her back hit the wall of her office.

Her breathing hitched as he placed an arm against the wall next to her head, pinning her in place. His breath was pungent, it reeked of tuna and eggs and she turned her face away in disgust. He was close enough that if she could just jam her knee in his crotch she could dash to her desk and grab her wand-

"Excuse me." A familiar deep voice growled from the doorway that made Hermione's stomach flip. She thanked Merlin when Aiden pulled away from her and she took a few deep breaths of fresh air. She looked to the door and gave Charlie a large thankful smile.

He stalked forward and placed himself between them, standing over Aiden by at least a foot. He looked ferrell as his blue eyes pierced straight through the shorter man. "Do you need something from my _girlfriend_?" He spat the words in Aiden's face, and the sleaze quickly shook his head no, stumbling back a step.

Charlie crossed his arms, his large muscles flexing through his thin white shirt. "Then I suggest that you listen to the lady and _get out._"

Aiden quickly rushed out of the room, stumbling slightly in his haste. Hermione was just about to ask Charlie what he was doing here when the red-head whirled, his eyes filled with fire.

"Are you alright?" He walked forward and gripped her shoulders, studying her face.

Hermione sagged into his arms, relief coursing through her veins. She stood on her toes and pulled him into a chaste kiss, pulling away to rest her head on his strong chest. "I'm okay, now. Just a little shaken is all. What are you doing here?"

Charlie rubbed her back, wrapping her in his solid embrace. Ignoring her question, he asked his own, "How long has that grease-ball been harassing you?"

Hermione sighed and pulled away to look up into his face. His brows were furrowed in worry and she reached up to cup his face. "Don't worry, Charlie. I'll report him to Effie before I leave. I'd have given him a proper body-bind hex, but I left my wand on my desk."

Charlie was visibly relieved and his face softened. He leant down to kiss her brow and she sighed contentedly at the contact. "Now, answer my question, what are you doing here?"

He gave her a cheeky grin, "What, not excited to see me? Are you already over me, Hermione?"

Hermione laughed and smacked his arm, "Do be serious, Charlie. You weren't going to come down until next week!"

Charlie grabbed the hand that smacked him and pulled it up to kiss the inside of her palm, sending a surge of fire to her core. His blue eyes sparkled with amusement when she took in a sharp breath as the contact and a light blush bloomed on her cheeks. Good Godric, would it always be like this?

He smirked at her reaction but finally answered her question, "Rollands let me leave early, I have something important to tell you."

"What is it?"

Charlie's face lit up excitedly and he tightened his hold around her. His words came out quickly as he spoke. "Someone in Research is retiring and Rollands wants to give you the job!"

Hermione blinked as she tried to wrap her mind around his words, "What?"

"I mean, it was fairly easy to refer you for the job after Effie sent him the report you wrote on Lumi. It was so well written and he was so impressed that the moment I told him you wanted to work here, he started filling out your paperwork."

Hermione stood in stunned silence for a moment before her face split into a wide grin. "Are you serious?!" Charlie nodded his head and she wrapped her arms around his neck as he spun her in a circle.

"The Researcher retires at the end of next month, so we'll have enough time to get everything figured out but yes, the job's yours."

Hermione pulled him down for a passionate kiss in her excitement and he laughed against her mouth. When they separated for air, Charlie smoothed back a curl that popped free from her hair clip and gave her a sly grin.

"Now we just have to tell the family at dinner on Sunday."


	12. Forever

Chapter 12: Together

Hermione fiddled with a strand of her hair as she stood in front of her fireplace, waiting for Charlie so they could Floo to the Burrow together. He had stayed at her flat for the last two days and she had enjoyed every minute of it. It was going to be hard to separate again but at least this time it came with the promise of living together for the rest of their lives.

Charlie came up behind her and wrapped her in his arms as she chewed on her bottom lip. He cupped her cheek and pulled the abused lip free from between her teeth.

"Unless you want me to keep that mouth of yours occupied, I suggest you stop that." He grinned as her face flushed at his words and gave her a gentle kiss. "I'm nervous too but don't worry, love. Everyone is going to be so happy for us."

Hermione nodded, "I know, I know. It's just... Moving to Romania is going to be a shock for Harry and Ron. And my parents! Muggles don't have soulmates and they're going to think I'm completely nutters for wanting to live with a man I've only been dating for a month, not to mention moving to a completely new country. I should have written to them and told them but I just didn't know how to explain it in a letter! Merlin they're going to be so upset-"

"Hermione."

She had started pacing as she rambled and Charlie was watching her with an amused expression. She stopped to stand in front of him and he smoothed back her curls, resting his hands on either side of her face to look into her eyes.

"Your parents will understand and if they don't, I'll show them how much I care about you. Harry and Ron can visit anytime they like. I've been building us a new cabin and I set up a Floo network inside of it. We'll make it work - together."

Hermione took a deep breath and tried to calm her racing mind, "Together."

Charlie grinned and gave her another quick kiss before stepping away to grab the Floo powder bag at her mantle. "Ready?"

Hermione steeled herself and reached inside to grab a handful of the powder. "Ready as I'll ever be."

A few minutes later they stepped through the green flames of the Burrow's Floo and into the warm living room. They surprised Harry and Ginny, who were sitting cuddled together on a plush couch in the corner. As Charlie stepped through the Floo, Ginny rushed forward to hug him.

"Charlie! You sly fox. You and Hermione, I can't believe it!"

Charlie gave her a grin but held a finger to his lips, "Keep it to yourself just yet, Gin. I believe the Twins owe you 100 galleons and I can't wait to wipe the smirks off their faces."

Ginny's face broke out in a similar grin and she nodded as Harry joined them. "Hermione, your parents are in the kitchen with Molly. They just got here about ten minutes ago. Everyone else is outside."

Hermione took a shuddering breath, her nerves going haywire at the mention of her parents. "Thank you, Harry."

Charlie placed a hand at the small of her back and rubbed his thumb in reassuring circles. Hermione gave him a small smile and leaned into his touch, hoping it would give her some confidence.

Harry shook his head in disbelief at the display, "Merlin, I'm happy for you guys, really but it's still so odd to see."

Charlie clapped a hand to Harry's shoulder with a glint in his eye, "I suppose it can't be any weirder than watching some bloke make puppy eyes at my sister for _years._"

Harry's cheeks coloured and the group laughed as he mumbled swears under his breath.

"Hermione?" She heard her mother call out to her from the kitchen. She turned to look at Charlie, who gestured his head towards the kitchen and they both walked towards it.

They had decided they'd wait until everyone was seated at dinner to tell them but her heart still hammered in her chest as they passed the kitchen threshold. Both of Hermione's parents were seated at the large kitchen table with Arthur, while Molly bustled around the stove cooking dinner.

"Oh Charlie! I didn't know you were coming!" Molly said as they entered as she rushed forward to pull him into a tight bear hug. She turned to Hermione and did the same.

"Wanted to surprise you." Charlie said as he gave his Dad a hug as well. Hermione walked forward to press a kiss to each of her parent's cheeks from where they sat at the table.

Molly furrowed her brow at her second eldest, "But you came by Floo? Normally you come by broom."

He flickered his gaze to Hermione for a brief moment before grinning at his mum. "Got a Floo set up in my cabin now, so I'll get to visit much more often."

Molly gave a quick nod as she headed back to the stove. "Good. I know you love Romania, but I want to see you more than once or twice a year."

"Hermione, how are you?" Arthur asked as he retook his seat at the table.

"Great, Arthur, thank you. Did you have any trouble bringing my parents?" Hermione stood between them with her arm wrapped around her mother's shoulders.

She could admit she had become somewhat clingy when she was with her parents, something that she was sure stemmed from having their memories being erased. She had only restored them two years ago and had taken nearly three months off of work to live with them as they moved back to England.

Her mother patted her arm, "Hermione, we have travelled by Floo many times with Arthur over the years. You don't need to worry."

Arthur smiled at her in reassurance but turned to the door as the rest of the Weasley clan clamoured inside. Fred and George were first, followed by Ron and a very pregnant Luna. Fred's three-year-old twin girls, Poppy and Willow, tottered in next with his wife, Katie Bell. He and Katie had married shortly after the War once he had recovered from being crushed during the final battle by a fallen wall, and their twin girls were born only a few months after that.

Hermione looked out for Percy and Bill but the door shut behind Katie with a click. Arthur noticed her searching eyes and told her that Bill and Fleur were visiting her family in France and Percy was working overtime at the Ministry.

"No need to worry, Hermione," Fred said, slinging an arm over her shoulder. "Your favourite Weasley is here, at least."

"Yeah sorry I haven't visited in a few months but I'm here now." Charlie winked at her and she felt her face heat. She hoped no one noticed.

"Charlie, why d'you always ruin my jokes?" Fred replied with a frown, walking over to his daughters and lifting each one to place on his hip. They squealed and giggled as he pressed kisses to their cheeks and everyone couldn't help but smile at their happiness.

"I'm your favourite Weasley, right girls?" Fred asked once his daughters had quieted.

Hermione had always been good at telling twins apart. Even though they were wearing the same outfit, she instantly knew it was Poppy who hid behind her hands and giggled as she said Uncle Ron was her favourite.

Willow, on the other hand, was in love with Charlie and she reached her hands out for him to hold her. Charlie all too quickly complied, scooping his niece into his arms as Fred set Poppy back to the ground.

"I can't believe this. Betrayed by my own spawn." Fred fake cried and Katie walked up to reassuringly pat his back.

"There, there darling. If it makes you feel any better, you're not even _my_ favorite Weasley and I'm married to you." She said with a grin and the whole room burst out in laughter at the devastated look Fred gave her.

"Alright, supper's ready. Let's settle in now." Molly chimed in from the edge of the stove and everyone eagerly filled the seats. Charlie quickly claimed a chair to her right, while her father sat on her left. She tried to squash the nerves she felt at them sitting so close to each other. They had met Charlie, only once, but still - he was part of the Weasley family. They loved every single one of the clan, so they'd have to love Charlie too.

Nodding to herself while she ate, she gave Charlie a smile when she noticed he looked at her oddly.

Once the food was gone and the plates cleaned up, everyone settled at the table to talk. Charlie cleared his throat to get everyone's attention and Hermione's stomach twisted into nervous knots. Ginny gave her a reassuring smile from across the table and Hermione tried to take a deep breath to settle herself as Charlie spoke.

"So… Not really sure how the best way to go about this is so I'm just going to say it. Hermione and I are together."

George sputtered into his cup of tea and began to violently cough. Katie and Fred were both slack-jawed. Ginny and Harry were both grinning and Ron sat back with his arms crossed wearing a scowl. Luna simply sipped her tea as if she was only told it was raining while Molly, Arthur, and her parents stared at them with wide, disbelieving eyes.

The air was thick with tension and Hermione wished someone would just say _something. _All too soon, she got her wish. It was as if a dam had broken loose as questions were hurled at them from all directions.

"Together?!"

"When did this happen?!"

"How long?!"

"Why didn't you tell us sooner-"

Charlie stood, abruptly silencing the room. Hermione slouched down into her chair with a bright blush as her parents looked at her with mild shock.

"We're more than just together." Charlie reached his hand out to Hermione and she looked up at him with a smile and took it. The feel of their hands entwined gave her the courage she needed and she stood up next to him.

"We're soulmates." Hermione finished his thought and Molly gasped into her hand.

"Good Godric, soulmates?!" Molly sat back in her chair stunned for a moment before she leapt out of it and ran to Charlie, wrapping him in a tight embrace. She began to blubber as she reached for Hermione.

"Oh, Hermione. I never thought - after Ron - oh dear, I never thought you'd become a Weasley. Not to say you're not family, dear but a true Weasley in name-"

"I think she gets it, Mum." George called from his seat. He and Fred were shaking their heads at Molly's hysterics.

"Merlin, another pair of soulmates in the family. How will we ever compete with them, George?" Fred asked his twin.

George sighed, "At least we're the most handsome of the lot."

Hermione laughed, thankful everyone seemed to be accepting of her and Charlie. She looked to her parents who sat with confused expressions.

"Mum, Dad? Are you okay?"

Her mother furrowed her brow further, "Soulmates are… Real?"

Arthur interrupted before Hermione could give her the textbook explanation. "In the wizarding world, yes. But it's very rare. Our eldest, Bill and Fleur are soulmates as are Ron and Luna." He turned and beamed at the standing couple. "And now Charlie and Hermione."

Hermione's father cleared his throat, "And how, exactly, do you know who's your soulmate?"

Arthur gave them both a quick explanation of how it worked, the connection and the matching birthmarks. At this, her parents whipped their heads to her with narrowed eyes. They knew the only birthmark marking her body was the large dragon-shaped one on her buttocks. Hermione blushed every shade of red imaginable as she looked to the floor in embarrassment.

"So is this why you wrote to me while you were in Romania, asking about our soulmate connection?" Luna piped up from next to Ron in her dreamy voice. "Because you saw Charlie's birthmark?"

Hermione wanted to crawl under a rock as the smirking faces of the twins rounded on her.

"Where is it, Hermione?" George asked with a grin.

"How did you manage to see it?" Fred asked, matching his twin's grin.

"Oh hush you two." Ginny interrupted. "You aren't allowed to ask any questions until you pay up." She held out her hand and made a 'gimme' motion.

"Pay up?" George looked at her confused.

Ginny's face broke out into a broad grin, "I recall a bet we made a few years ago. Something about Charlie being single forever…"

The twin's grins instantly fell from their faces at her words and Hermione let out a laugh, thankful for Ginny's diversion.

Charlie wrapped his arm around her shoulders, tucking her into his side and looked down at her as he spoke, "Do you want to tell them the next part?"

Hermione took a deep breath and looked to her parents, "I'm quitting the Ministry and taking a job in the Research Department at the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary. I'll be moving to Romania next month…"

Hermione's stomach flipped as her parents exchanged an unknown look between them. Her mother turned back to her and gave her a gentle smile.

"It's about time, darling."

Hermione blinked for a moment as she processed her mother's words. "Y-You're not upset?"

She shook her head, "Of course not. We've been wanting you to… gain some independence from us for a long time Hermione." Her mother stood and walked around the table to grab her hand. "We know that what happened with our memories upset you greatly and caused you to cling a little when you were finally able to undo it. For goodness sake, your flat is only a ten-minute walk from our house. But if this is what you want, your father and I support you completely."

Hermione's eyes watered at her mother's words and a few tears leaked free as her father stood to shake Charlie's hand.

"We don't really understand this whole soulmate business," Her father said as he stood next to his wife. "But if it means Hermione will be happy then we're happy."

He gave a stern look to Charlie. "And we may only be Muggles, but I'll still kick your arse if you hurt her."

Charlie let out a light-hearted chuckle and scratched the back of his head. He looked down at Hermione and her heart swelled at the love she found gracing his face.

"Now," Molly said, pulling everyone's attention to her. "When is the wedding?"

* * *

A few hours later, having finally silenced Molly on any wedding planning and dodging all the awkward questions the twins asked them, Charlie and Hermione stumbled through her Floo.

Hermione flopped on the couch with an exhausted sigh and Charlie followed right after her. He pulled her feet into his lap and took off her shoes to massage her feet as he kicked his own off.

"Did you have a good time?" He asked as his thumbs kneaded her heels.

She let out a small sigh, "I was honestly surprised it went so well. I thought my parents were going to be angry, or at the very least, hesitant."

Charlie worked her feet into putty and she let out small groans at the feeling. He laughed lightly at her reactions before dropping her feet back to the floor and pulling her onto his lap. He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips when she settled, straddling his hips.

Hermione hummed and pulled his hair free from the leather thong to let it drop to his shoulders. She ran her fingers through the fiery locks and pulled his face closer to deepen the kiss. Sparks jolted down her spine as Charlie pressed his hands at the small of her back to push her closer to his body.

He pulled away to catch his breath and set his forehead against hers, staring into her eyes.

"Is it too soon to tell you that I love you?"

Hermione's heart pounded in her chest at those three words and she closed her eyes with a smile.

"No... because I love you too."

Charlie cupped her face and gave her an earth-shattering kiss that had her toes curling and her core heating. He pulled her from his lap and stood, reaching out to take her hand to lead her to the bedroom.

Once the door had closed behind them, Charlie pressed her up against it and hurriedly trailed kisses up and down her neck. Her soft moans filled the room and he quickly divested her of her shirt and bra, reaching up to cup her breasts and gently squeeze.

Charlie trailed his lips back up to hers and Hermione tugged on the bottom of his shirt. He pulled away with a small smile and rid himself of his tight white shirt, flexing slightly against the coolness of the room. Hermione reached up and trailed her hands over his broad shoulders, through the small patch of ginger chest hair and straight down to his belt. She quickly unfastened it and tossed it to the floor, coming back to unbutton his trousers.

Hermione glanced up at Charlie's face to find him watching her with a lust-filled gaze and his dilated pupils sent a rush of heat to her centre. He placed his hands on either side of her face as she tugged down his trousers and pants and gripped his length firmly. Charlie let out a breathy groan as she began to stroke him and he kissed her hungrily.

His hands slid down her body, stopping momentarily to fondle her breasts before continuing their path and nearly ripping off her trousers and panties. She broke their kiss to step out of them but kept a firm hold of his erection, which was now extremely hard in her hand. Charlie sucked in a breath as she moved her hand gently over the head and he bucked his hips slightly.

"Should we move to the bed?" Hermione asked in a breathy whisper.

"No. I'm going to fuck you against this door, Hermione," Charlie answered, his voice thick with want and it sent a shiver down her spine. She rubbed her legs together with a whimper, hoping to ease some of the want she was feeling.

Charlie noticed immediately what she was doing and he trailed a hand down her centre, plunging them quickly into her wetness.

The loud moan Hermione let out at the sensation of being filled by his large fingers echoed against her walls. He moved quickly, his need evident by the pulsing of his length in her hand as she moved.

He rubbed a thumb roughly against her clit and nibbled gently on her neck, causing her to see stars. He kept the pace steadily and after a few moments, she came against his hand - moaning his name into his shoulder.

Charlie pulled his fingers free and gripped her wrist to stop her pumping on his member. He wrapped both of his arms around her bottom and lifted her as easily as if she were nothing more than a bag of flour.

He pressed his body against hers and her back dug into the wood of the door. It would have been painful, had she not been so focused on the feeling of his thick shaft stretching her soaked core.

They both let out loud moans into the chilled air and Charlie hooked his arms under her knees to hold her up. It allowed him to plunge even deeper inside her, making Hermione cry out as he filled her fully. His hands gripped her thighs and her skin tingled where his fingers dug into them.

Charlie started a slow pace as they adjusted to the tight fit but eventually, his need for release had him pounding into her fervently. Fire spread throughout every fibre of Hermione's body, as it did every time they made love. Again, she could feel the soulmate bond stretched between them and she let out breathy moans as it tugged on her soul.

Charlie ground into her, rubbing against her clit and after a few more deep pumps they both shouted out their climaxes. He stayed inside of her for a few moments as he caught his breath and slowly pulled out, helping her come down safely to the floor. Her knees wobbled a bit and Charlie let out a laugh as she gripped his arms for support.

She shot him a half-hearted glare and stumbled to her bed, collapsing on it in a naked heap. Charlie followed and laid down next to her, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her back to his chest.

"It's so odd to think I won't live in England soon," said Hermione as she snuggled in closer and gently ran her fingers over his arm causing goosebumps to grace his skin.

Charlie kissed the back of her neck softly. "Are you happy?"

Hermione smiled and turned to face him, "As long as we're together, I'm happy."

Charlie matched her smile and cupped her cheek to press a sweet kiss to her swollen lips. "Forever."

She turned back and closed her eyes as he pulled her more firmly against his body. His steady breathing and warm body had her quickly drifting to sleep, excited to start their forever.


	13. Epilogue

Epilogue: Forever

_10 years later_

Hermione smiled as she shifted a lock of her husband's long hair from his face as he slept. The touch roused him from his dreams and he cracked open a sleepy eye to look at her.

"Morning, love." Hermione said, pressing a soft kiss to his bearded cheek.

Charlie grumbled and stretched his arms above his head, his still muscled body flexing as he moved. Charlie Weasley had aged beautifully, his handsome features only increasing as he neared his fortieth birthday. Gentle laugh lines framed his mouth and his eyes now held permanent crows feet but the boyish playful glint never left them.

"Mummm!" One of their children called loudly from downstairs.

Hermione sighed and flopped onto her back, trying to ignore the sound of her children running around downstairs as they woke from their beds. A loud shout and bang from below had her swearing into their large bedroom and Charlie huffed a laugh as they both swung out from under the warm covers.

She pulled on a pair of muggle jeans and a dark green t-shirt and quickly padded downstairs. She found her eldest son, Rowan, attempting to cook himself breakfast. He was only nine-years-old but tried to act like a proper adult, reminding both her and Charlie heavily of how Percy was as a child.

Her second eldest, Asher, who was born just shy of two years apart from his brother, was quite the troublemaker. She and Charlie had to repeatedly confiscate various stink bombs or Puking Pasties that Fred and George tried to sneak him at every family gathering. Hermione found him hiding under the dining room table, holding a jar that she instantly recognized as one of the Twin's products. He had the Tiny Twister Jar aimed directly at his younger sister's door, waiting for her to open it to unleash it upon her.

"And what, may I ask, do you plan to do with that?" Hermione asked as she crouched at the table, making Asher jump in surprise.

He quickly hid the jar behind his back and gave her an innocent smile, "Nothing, Mum. I don't have anything."

"It's a Tiny Twister, Mum. Uncle Fred gave it to him last weekend when we went to Gran's." Rowan piped up from the stove.

Hermione held her hand out and Asher reluctantly placed the Tiny Twister in it. "Out from under the table, dear."

Asher scrambled out from between the legs of a chair and stuck his tongue out at his older brother. Hermione had to suppress a smile as she stuck the jar in a charmed box with all the other confiscated items from over the years. One day, when her resolve wavered, she would unleash every single one of those items on the Twins.

Her daughter's bedroom door opened and five-year-old Kaida stumbled out, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Charlie came down the stairs a moment later as Rowan finished cooking breakfast.

Charlie took a dramatic inhale of the food and gave his son a beaming grin, "Well-done, Rowan. That smells great."

Rowan glowed at his father's praise and hopped off the step-stool to eat as Hermione scooped up Kaida and brushed the fiery red curls from her face. All of her children had the same hair, Weasley red with Hermione's untameable ringlets.

"Oh, Mum the owl post came already. There was a letter for you." Rowan said as he shovelled his eggs into his mouth. Charlie began to cook the rest of the family breakfast and Hermione grabbed the letter Rowan pointed to from the counter.

It was scribbled in her assistant's familiar handwriting and she hurriedly opened it. Hermione let out a gasp as she read and nearly dropped Kaida in her excitement.

"What is it?" Charlie asked, turning to look at her with a spatula in hand.

She grinned at her husband and handed him the letter before turning to her children, "Eat quickly, everyone. Lumi's egg is hatching!"

* * *

After breakfast and haphazardly dressing her children, they all flew down to the research building a short distance from the Commons. Kaida was tucked tightly between Hermione's arms as she rode on her Firebolt while Asher rode jovially with his carefree father.

She was immensely proud of Rowan, however, riding next to them on a broom of his own. He had been gifted a Nimbus 2007 by them last Christmas when he passed a flying test with Keeper Harpis, who had finally mastered the broom and been made the flying instructor. Rowan was an amazing flyer and had been on a broom since infancy. Charlie hoped he'd be sorted into Gryffindor and make the quidditch team in his first year.

"Have to try to beat Potter. He made me look bad when he became seeker." Charlie had said to her one night when she discovered he had bought Rowan a self-hovering broom when he was only two.

The group of them descended quickly and shoved their brooms into the racks near the front door, rushing inside.

Hermione led them through to the hatchery, where her assistant, Megan, waited for them.

"Professor Weasley!" The timid girl squeaked out. Hermione had been titled Professor when she was made head of the hatchery department two years ago but it still sounded odd.

Hermione smiled at her as they came to Lumi's egg, the large blue opalescent egg sat wedged between hot coals and large cracks were forming on top. Her heart swelled as she thought how they came to this moment.

They had heard rumours of another dragon matching Lumi's description being spotted around Finland and Charlie and a small group of Keepers were dispatched to find it. They had returned four days later, chilled to the bone but glowing with happiness as the totted in another Finnish Blackscale. A _male_ Finnish Blackscale.

It had taken all but a week for Lumi and the now dubbed, Jasper, to mate and only six months to produce the egg that is now hatching.

Charity, now Keeper Beedle, and Felix burst through the doors, followed by Orval and Luella and their daughter, Ana. Ana was only a year older than Rowan and Hermione could already tell infatuation was blooming in her son. His cheeks coloured slightly as Ana said hello to him and Hermione had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop from smiling.

"Has it happened yet?" Felix asked as he rushed towards the group, out of breath.

"Just about, only a few more minutes now." Hermione said and turned her attention back to the egg.

The group gathered around as the crest began to cave in and a hole formed. A sudden burst of flame shot out from inside, causing the egg to burst apart. It revealed a solid black dragon, no larger than the size of a small dog, staring at them with icy blue eyes. It had nubs where it's horns would grow in and it stumbled on its claws as it moved around clumsily.

Megan was furiously taking notes down beside her and for once, Hermione was glad to simply enjoy the magic happening in front of her.

Charlie wrapped an arm around her shoulders, tucking her into his side and Hermione made a grab for all her children to pull them in close. Even Asher, normally too rebellious to want affection, was too stunned by the baby dragon and allowed Hermione to hold his hand.

The emotion in the room was overwhelming and tears pricked the corners of her eyes as Megan began to examine the newborn.

She looked up at Charlie with a grin as a few tears overflowed, trailing down her face. His own emotion matched hers and he leant down to press a sweet kiss to her lips. Her heart nearly burst at the love she felt from her husband of ten years.

Her soulmate.

Her forever.

* * *

And with that, we come to the end. Again I want to thank everyone that helped this fic come to fruition! And thank you so much for reading I hope you've enjoyed.

Don't forget to check out the rest of this collection on Archive of Our Own (hermiones_nook - collection: Hermione's Nook RarePair Soulmate Fest) for some other fantastic fics (:

Appreciate any favorites, follows and reviews 3


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